Reducing Restaurant Food Waste

The EPA estimated that in 2018, the United States wasted 35.3 million tons of food. That is more than the equivalent of 155,000 Statue of Liberties. 

According to the food waste hierarchy pyramid, source reduction is the ‘best case scenario’ when it comes to food waste. Although, the many challenges brought about by the pandemic, have led the restaurant industry down a path that is beyond this phase. Fortunately, there are many ways to manage food waste once it has been generated as an alternative to sending it to a landfill. Donation, composting, and organic recycling are all available options to restaurant operators attempting to reduce the amount of food scraps entering their solid waste bins. 

Before implementing any food diversion efforts, it’s helpful to know where the operation currently stands in regard to food waste. Audit the waste stream and try to identify current trends and how much waste is actually being generated. This data will be helpful to the team when…