Incentives for Restaurants to Decrease Waste?

Check out StopWaste.org's website for Food Waste programs. Many cities in Alameda County here have reduced prices for commercial organics service through their franchise agreements.

Peter Schultze-Allen

Environmental Analyst
City of Emeryville,
Public Works Department
1333 Park Ave,
Emeryville, CA 94608
510-596-3728

Hi Kate,

We have an annual Waste Reduction Awards event for recognizing local businesses that do their part. It's very well received here. Wes Chesbro,a member of California's Integrated Waste Management Board, comes and hands out locally created prizes. We create professional posters about 2.5X4ft and make rounds with them throughout the County. You can read about the event here: http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/080403-locals-awarded-for-waste-reduction-efforts

Good luck!

Carlos Chavez
Programs Analyst
Humboldt Waste Management Authority
(707) 268-8680 Ext. 218
[email protected]

Hello Kate,

Gary Feinland of New York State Dept of Environmental Conservation is working on policy for Food Waste in the State. He's in the middle of a series of workshops around the State, and may be able to advise. [email protected] We have just begun providing Food Trading websites, which can include the ability to trade and track food waste trading. Essentially they provide some of the logistics for a better performing local food system, by setting up a 'marketplace & database' for food. Over time they will identify the 'sinks and sources' of food in a community or region, and help to connect food providers, retailers, restaurants, etc. (suppliers) with consumers, and for food waste this includes food rescuers, composters, biodigesters, etc. (consumers) See www.foodtrader.org (State of Maryland, provided by the Environmental Finance Center at the U. of Maryland) and www.sharedharvest.net/okanogan_county. We will be providing a similar service for a region in New York State in the near future through the Environmental Finance Center at the U. of Syracuse.

Norm Ruttan
iWasteNot Systems
www.iwastenotsystems.com

Millbrae, California passed a sustainable serviceware ordinance. All info can be found at www.ci.millbrae.ca.us The contact person is Shelly Reider [email protected] or 650.259.2444

Enjoy a Grand and Healthy Day

Catherine Allin Tollstrup
650/759-2164 cell
www.healthyandhappyforlife.isagenix.com
www.isamovie.com
www.weightlosshalloffame.net

Hi Tom -

That's great! Thanks for your response. We have exactly the opposite issue. Landfills have historically been cheap around here. (Our population is less dense and we have a lot more open space). And fuel has been cheap so the hauling costs were not that large either. We have only one food waste composter serving the entire 2M population metro area and until we can get more businesses on the cycle, it is expensive for small business to have their food waste composted. In the long run trash hauling costs will increase, and it will become cheaper to compost. But until that happens, what can we do to change the behavior since the market isn't doing it yet?

Kate

Dear Kate and Colleagues--

Here in South Central Upstate New York the cost of having food scraps taken away by a commercial compost firm is significantly less than having the same food scraps taken away as waste. So literally all of the restaurants and food vendors use the compost service provided. This is a no-brainer. Hand-in-hand with this transition, many of the restaurants and food service vendors at our large farmers' market and local festivals have changed to compostable dinnerware which of course also reduces their trash fees. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information.

Take care.
Tom

Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
Compost Educator and General Sustainability Geek