TR AN S FO R M I N G CO R K
TACKLING FOOD WASTE Authored by Placement Student, Alannah O’Callaghan, MSc Co-operatives, Agri-Food and Sustainable Development at UCC’s Centre for Co-operative Studies As part of the Sustainable Cork Programme, Cork Chamber has committed to furthering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
How can my organisation be more proactive in reducing the amount of food waste we create?
Reducing food waste is one practical way that the business community can support the SDGs and contribute to a better and more sustainable world. To gain further insight on food waste practice in officebased environments in Cork, we conducted a sample survey of 25 businesses and a round of in-depth interviews alongside extensive policy and best practice research.
To start, think of all the ways you minimise food waste at home, and continue this momentum within the office. Reducing food waste is as easy as thinking about waste when your ordering food for events, conferences and only order the amount you actually need. When creating menus at work, try and use all parts of the food and get creative with your menu, use up the extra food in a new dish the following day. While donating food waste is only a short-term solution, it is still better than throwing away leftovers. Donate or ask staff to if they want to take them home.
Food Waste Many workplaces in Ireland still dispose of food into their general waste! In a study carried out in 2018 it was discovered that 36% of general waste from offices in Ireland consists of food waste, and almost 5% of the recycling from offices was actually food waste. Currently, if your workspace doesn’t supply food onsite there is no legal requirement to segregate your food waste, however, doing so has both environmental and financial benefits (Stop Food Waste, 2021).
Why is it important to prevent, reduce and properly manage food waste? Globally, it’s estimated that approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year which releases up to 4.4 gigatones of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere (Hawken, 2017). In Ireland more than one million tonnes of food is wasted annually which accounts for up to 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (EPA, 2021). This food waste has negative impacts on the climate, biodiversity, fresh water supply and the atmosphere, and it also undermines global targets for food security. Reducing your waste and segregating it is better for the environment, but it also benefits you financially as the weight of your general waste bin is reduced and lowers your waste bills!
10
What are my options for managing food waste at work? There is a certain amount of waste that is unavoidable so make sure you dispose of this correctly. Brown bins are the most commonly used solution for workspaces. They come in a range of sizes and can be provided by your waste management company. When food is disposed of in these bins it is either sent to a composting facility or an anaerobic digestion facility which is far better than winding up in landfill. Onsite composting is another environmentally friendly solution for some workplaces; however, this takes more time, commitment and some paperwork compared to the brown bin option, and due to location may not be an option for many work environments. Some businesses are not in a position do either of these things or may not create enough waste to avail of these options, so one of the simplest solutions as an individual is to take the food waste home in your lunchbox and dispose of it in your compost or brown bin at home!
