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Food service staff recycle food, save Earth

Garbage isn't something most Americans want to think about every day, but managing the nearly 230 million tons of waste that they generate each year has every day environmental and economic consequences.

Food scraps and food-soiled paper are the largest single item in the United States waste stream -- making up approximately 20 per cent of what is thrown away in the City of Dubuque, Iowa. Food scraps are a resource, not a waste. Composting is an old practice revived to shape the new frontier in waste reduction and recovery.

The Sisters of the Presentation, Dubuque, participate in a food scrap recycling program that helps extend the life of the city landfill, protects the environment, and creates a beneficial compost product from garbage. Mount Loretto, Presentation motherhouse in Dubuque, was among the first institutions in the city to participate in a pilot food scrap collection program. After each meal, food scraps (including meats and bones) coffee grounds, paper towels, compostable paper and small amounts of other organic material are collected into 48-gallon carts known as "GreenCarts." Once a week the city empties the GreenCart.

The aim of this recycling program is to eventually achieve the State of Iowa's goal of 50 per cent diversion of waste from landfills. In an effort to help reduce greenhouse gas emission, Dubuque became the first city in the state of Iowa to offer a curbside food scrap recycling pilot program. The program is now available to all.

The material is co-collected and commingled with yard waste in a solid waste packer truck. These materials are delivered to the licensed Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA) facility. The materials are processed into compost for sale and for use in Dubuque area landscaping, agriculture and restoration programs.

Lisa Behnke, director of food service for the Presentation Sisters at Mount Loretto, says: "Even though our investment in this program is more time consuming than our previous method of food scrap disposal, I believe that this recycling will not only bring many benefits to us, but long range blessings for Earth."