Pre- and Post- Consumer Composting By Albert, Charissa, Julien and Zhentong

Vocabulary Pre-consumer Compost: biodegradable waste generated as a result of commercial/industrial food production or preparation for consumption. – Eg: onion peal, left overs Post-consumer Compost: biodegradable waste generated by the customer (plate waste). – Eg: food scraps, napkins, disposable plates/cups A waste stream: the complete flow of waste from domestic or industrial areas through to final disposal. (enviro-news.com)

Why should we compost? 4 – 10 % of food purchased will become pre-consumer waste 16% of disposed waste stream is food waste. (California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2003) Saves on dollars. – money spent on landfill hauling and tipping. – 50 tons of waste would cost $3,125 (Colgate University) Saves the Earth! – Reduce landfill waste by 130 tons -> reduce greenhouse gas emissons by 20.9 tons (Colgate University)

Difficulties with Composting

Comparing Pre- and Post- Consumer Composting Pre- Under control of foodservice Employees have incentives to sort waste (they’re paid!) Post – Sorted by customer – what are some ways to motivate them? Opportunity for contamination increases

Disadvantages for both Pre- and Post- consumer composting Education – Staff or consumers Set up designated bins, signs, etc. Contamination (Sanitation and Health issues) Foodborne Pathogens (presence of meat) Strict regulations

Solutions Contamination – having staff clear tables instead of customers. ( Leanpath) – Use compostable disposables only in foodservice (Seattle University) – Clearly label disposable products (Cedar Grove) Foodborne Pathogens – Stick to regulations – Only compost vegetable waste

References The Cornell Daily Sun (CornellSun.com) LeanPath (Leanpath.com) Hansens Tree (Hansenstree.com) Colgate University’s Composting Club ( composting-project/) Luther College (Luther.edu) UC Davis ( DavisWasteFINAL.pdf) R. W. Beck, INC.