{"id":1130,"date":"2016-02-25T19:40:40","date_gmt":"2016-02-26T01:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/?p=1130"},"modified":"2020-01-29T10:43:10","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T16:43:10","slug":"food-waste-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/food-waste-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Why U.S. Companies Are Rooting Out Food Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve become a throwaway society. Leftovers from a dinner out get tossed into the trash. Bruised or past due supermarket produce winds up in dumpsters and ultimately in our landfills. There&#8217;s a growing movement to give \u201corganics\u201d a second life. The Zero Waste movement has taken on\u00a0<strong>food waste<\/strong>\u00a0and businesses and organizations are embracing this sustainability trend.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some sobering facts about\u00a0<strong>food waste<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to World Food Day, approximately\u00a040 percent of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldfooddayusa.org\/food_waste_the_facts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">food supply\u00a0is wasted<\/a>. That&#8217;s more than 20 pounds of food per person per month &#8211; the equivalent of $115 billion per year!<\/li>\n<li>Organic waste is the second highest component of landfills, the largest source of methane emissions.<\/li>\n<li>In 2010, Americans wasted almost 33.8 million tons of food<\/li>\n<li>If we wasted\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/visual.ly\/21-shocking-us-food-waste-facts-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">5 percent less food<\/a>, that would be enough to feed 4,000,000 Americans!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Revisiting the 3Rs<\/h3>\n<p>Zero waste goes beyond recycling, although that&#8217;s an integral component. The underlying premise is for businesses to produce less waste by changing employees&#8217; and suppliers&#8217; habits. This includes purchasing less, dramatically reducing or eliminating plastic, creating more sustainable packaging and embracing the 3 R&#8217;s \u2013 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.<\/p>\n<p>According to Stephanie Barger, founder and Executive Director of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uszwbc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Zero Waste Business Council<\/a>, zero waste is about \u201cupstream\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt&#8217;s not recycling and composting,\u201d Barger said. It&#8217;s about retraining, refusing, returning, repairing, redesigning, rethinking and remembering. It&#8217;s about prioritizing them in the right way, she said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But prioritizing doesn&#8217;t affect widespread change.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s necessary, said Barger, is for business leaders to have an awareness of trash on our natural environment and trash&#8217;s toxins on our human environment.<\/p>\n<p>Barger says the Council&#8217;s goal is to create a zero-waste economy. That requires getting businesses to redesign their business model.<\/p>\n<h3>Brewing sustainability<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_1131\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1131\" class=\"wp-image-1131\" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sierra-Nevada-Hot-Rot-composting-machine-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"Sierra Nevada - Hot Rot composting machine\" width=\"500\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sierra-Nevada-Hot-Rot-composting-machine-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sierra-Nevada-Hot-Rot-composting-machine-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sierra-Nevada-Hot-Rot-composting-machine.jpg 786w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Nevada Brewing Company&#8217;s hotrot composting machine, installed to minimize food waste. Image Credit: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Companies across the country are stepping up to do just that. One notable example is the California-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sierranevada.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sierra Nevada Brewery Company<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra Nevada Brewing has a history of being at the forefront of environmental issues says Sustainability Coordinator Mandi McKay.<\/p>\n<p>Eight years ago they hired a recycling coordinator to handle everything \u2013 metal, plastic, cardboard, etc. The position quickly blossomed to include saving water, energy and installing a huge solar array. The company now has a Department of Sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>Approximately six years ago the company began working closely with the city of Chico and Butte County to try and get them to install a regional composting facility that would accept <strong>food waste<\/strong>. There wasn&#8217;t one within 100 miles of the Brewery.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, there was no traction to move forward. With no recourse and a commitment to responsibly managing its <strong>food waste<\/strong>, Sierra Nevada Brewery bought its own composting machine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s an investment, said McKay, noting that the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotrotsolutions.com\/pages\/hotrot-1206\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hot Rot<\/a>\u00a0composting machine \u2013 the only one in the United States &#8211; was very expensive.<\/p>\n<p>Now 100 percent of the <strong>food waste<\/strong> the company generates \u2013 from its on-site restaurant, gardens, employee break room, and concerts \u2013 goes into composting.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra Nevada averages around 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of food waste per day of spent hops and\/or grain material, paper towels and compostable products that go into their composter. This produces approximately three yards of compost per day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a continuous flow,\u201d said McKay.<\/p>\n<p>And they have perfect onsite outlets for that compost &#8211; in their hop fields, their barley field and in their restaurant gardens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a closed-loop system,\u201d said McKay.<\/p>\n<p>This system is just one factor in the company&#8217;s sustainability efforts. When they purchased the Hot Rot, they were already at 90 percent diversion, sending their spent grain and yeast for cattle feed.<\/p>\n<p>These efforts more than qualified them for certification by the Zero Waste Council. Adding the <strong>food waste<\/strong> and composting was the last push to get them to an unprecedented 99.8 percent diversion level and achieve the Council&#8217;s prestigious Platinum certification.<\/p>\n<h3>Zero Waste Facility Certification<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uszwbc.org\/certification\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zero Waste Facility Certification<\/a>\u00a0is the first third-party Zero Waste Certification program for facilities that meet the requirements for a valid, comprehensive verification of a company&#8217;s Zero Waste achievements. It certifies a company&#8217;s level of waste diversion, which must be at 90 percent diversion for at least a year.<\/p>\n<p>To be certified,\u00a0a company can gain points in fifteen categories, which include retraining, reusing, reducing, purchasing, redesigning and leadership.<\/p>\n<p>In a zero-waste company, everyone in every department is responsible, trained and incentivized, said Barger. Every department has zero waste policies and its own zero-waste program and is responsible for being part of the company&#8217;s overall zero waste plan. It&#8217;s a sustainable program with the total participation of the entire company.<\/p>\n<h3>Food waste diversion<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_1133\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1133\" class=\"wp-image-1133 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/grocery-produce-1.jpg\" alt=\"Potential grocer food waste\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/grocery-produce-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/grocery-produce-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1133\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In 2014, Quest Resource Management Group helped clients recycle over 500 tons of food waste. Image Credit: 06photo\/Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 2014,\u00a0Quest Resource Management Group\u00a0\u2013 an environmental consulting and management group working with Fortune 500 companies \u2013 helped clients recycle over 500,500 tons of<strong> food waste<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Zero Waste Council is working to educate and train zero-waste business professionals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are no college \/ other types of professional training (for this),\u201d said Barger. \u201cWe&#8217;re creating a huge workforce of zero waste professionals. (And) we&#8217;re creating value to zero waste,\u201d she said, \u201ccreating jobs, markets, and healthy communities through zero waste.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople get excited about sustainability,\u201d said McKay. \u201cSierra Nevada&#8217;s employees live and work all this (their sustainability programs).\u201d The Zero Waste Platinum Certification was a nice recognition for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt&#8217;s all about being an efficient, forward thinking company,\u201d Barger said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To companies looking to tackle <strong>food waste<\/strong> issues, McKay says there aren&#8217;t enough regional composting facilities. Among the big hurdles to creating these facilities are a difficult permitting process, expensive costs, <strong>food waste<\/strong> collection, and contamination issues.<\/p>\n<p>If businesses want to pursue <strong>food waste<\/strong> management, McKay suggests starting with your city or county to see about creating momentum to open a regional facility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it&#8217;s a big project,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>There are onsite options for smaller businesses that aren&#8217;t as expensive, she said. \u201cTry (starting) with local infrastructure first,\u201d she said<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of things companies can start with, she said.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cStart with cardboard bales, then move to food waste. And, McKay added, \u201cthere (are) software programs and consultants to help you track your food waste.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFood waste is one of the more important issues to tackle,\u201d she said. \u201cWe&#8217;re not dealing with it in this country.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>One exciting new development for California-based companies:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.calrecycle.ca.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CalRecycle<\/a>\u00a0recently announced they have some grant funding for companies to install the Hot Rot type of composting machine.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt&#8217;s really important to keep organics out of the landfill,\u201d McKay said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Let learn how Quest can help your company better manage food waste, <a href=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/gr-contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contact us<\/a> today.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally published by Earth911. Published with permission.\u00a0<\/em><em>Feature image &#8211; Dora Zett\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"header-image aligncenter wp-image-1138 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/food-waste-cart.jpg\" alt=\"food waste\" width=\"1160\" height=\"609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/food-waste-cart.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/food-waste-cart-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/food-waste-cart-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/food-waste-cart-1024x538.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #000000;\">Recycle more, pay less, look good doing it. Click here to get started!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve become a throwaway society. Leftovers from a dinner out get tossed into the trash. Bruised or past due supermarket produce winds up in dumpsters and ultimately in our landfills. There&#8217;s a growing movement to give \u201corganics\u201d a second life. The Zero Waste movement has taken on\u00a0food waste\u00a0and businesses and organizations are embracing this sustainability&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":1138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[17,18,19],"class_list":["post-1130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail-solutions-blog","tag-food-waste","tag-food-waste-solutions","tag-food-waste-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}