Reducing Food Waste – Food Waste Recycling For Business
Ever heard of the food recovery hierarchy pyramid? Sounds a little mysterious, doesn’t it? Have no fear, the food recovery hierarchy pyramid is simply guidance (from the EPA) on – you may have guessed it – the most preferred way to divert food from landfills all the way down to the least preferred. Whew… that was a big sentence! So what is the list, you ask. In order of most preferred to least preferred;
• Source reduction/prevention
• Feeding people
• Feeding animals
• Industrial uses
• Composting
• Anaerobic digestion
• Incineration/landfill
As you can see, landfilling food waste should be used as a last resort. Recently we authored ‘TOP 5 GROCER BENEFITS WHEN PARTICIPATING IN A FOOD RECYCLING PROGRAM’, an E-guide outlining the benefits of food recycling programs. To learn more about how a food recycling program could benefit your organization, click the link at the end of this blog.
One beneficiary of Quest’s food recycling program (for grocers) estimates that program participation saves them approximately $8,000 each month. That is $96,000 in savings annually. By not having to purchase that same amount in food each year, this animal sanctuary is able to direct those savings towards other important operations initiatives.
Reducing food waste through the implementation of a food recycling program will help you reduce your operational costs while helping the environment and local community reduce waste. So why wouldn’t one do it?