We produced 32,741 pounds of food waste that was converted
into pig food in October. What a staggering number, right? Nonetheless, more
waste needs to be examined. There is also the consideration of materials that
are composted (food, tea bags and stirrers,) recycled (paper, plastics, tin,
glass, and cardboard) and, finally, unconverted trash going to the landfill.
Therefore, 32,741 pounds of food waste is only a fraction of the total waste
generated to produce meals in Commons.
Overall, statistics from last October vs. this October
reveal that the amount of waste generated in Commons and the amount diverted
from the landfill are static. However, we experienced an increase in the amount
of food waste produced – up over 5,000 pounds from October 2018. What does that
say about our eating habits at Bates?
A positive that arises out of this situation is percentages
of waste diverted from the landfill remain static. So, if the outcome is
ultimately positive, then what’s the big deal? Some food waste is unavoidable.
There will always be inedible apple cores and vegetable peelings that prevents a
zero-waste figure for food. Despite this, the question remains: shouldn’t we do better?
Worldwide, food waste is becoming a serious environmental
and economic issue that needs to be addressed now. What that means for Bates
students is we need to start acknowledging our various forms of privilege.
Having the opportunity to attend an institution where we are provided with a
steady supply of meals is a privilege. Acknowledge that, and do not run away
from it. Do not try to ignore your lousy habits by consistently grabbing a full
plate of food, consuming barely one-third of your meal and then using excuses
like time constraints or “I didn’t like it.” It’s within your power to plan
arrivals or alternate meal plans or to take a sample of something to see if you
like it before loading your plate.
Last week, Bates CHEWS hosted No-Waste November, which was
designed to inform the student body about food waste in Commons. During this
event, we talked about the little actions people can take that will result in a
meaningful reduction of food waste in Commons, like mindfully choosing your
portions and holding your plate closer to pans when serving yourself. (Consider
that when food from counters was collected and weighed for just one day it
totaled 27 pounds. Multiply that by all of the service days in Commons and
you’ll see that this small action saves hundreds of pounds.) These acts are
within the power of the individual student, who has the autonomy to decide what
and how they dine.
Moreover, on the same day, Sustainable Bates offered a
cooking class with Commons’ Executive Chef Owen Keene to teach strategies about
reducing food waste. Some of the information presented included how to break
down a whole chicken, how to reuse vegetable scraps for a nutritional and tasty
stock, and the multiple ways Commons reuses food.
Moving forward, we need to be consciously aware of how much
waste we are producing and how we can play a part in reducing food waste
through our everyday decisions. This pattern of producing unnecessary food
waste is detrimental to our future, and it is up to us to change this system –
one forkful at a time.