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).

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 o cebased 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.

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 o ces in Ireland consists of food waste, and almost 5% of the recycling from o ces 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 nancial bene ts (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 bene ts you nancially as the weight of your general waste bin is reduced and lowers your waste bills!

How can my organisation be more proactive in reducing the amount of food waste we create?

To start, think of all the ways you minimise food waste at home, and continue this momentum within the o ce. 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 sta to if they want to take them home.

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 land ll.

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!

Chamber Member Insights

The survey found that policy is not to be the primary motivator for companies. Instead a commitment to sustainability and the environment appeared to be more important. This was further supported by in-depth interviews which showed that the drive to prevent and reduce food waste within companies is typically part of a bigger initiative to become more sustainable. This demonstrates that fostering sustainable behaviour within an organisation can make real change.

Recommendations

According to the IPCC, climate change is rapid, widespread and intensifying. The role of human in uence on the climate system is undisputed and individuals and organisations alike have a moral obligation to take action and become more environmentally sustainable.

• Ensure that your organisation is segregating waste, and that your bin collection company provide you with bins and proper signage to do so

• If you haven’t already, complete a waste audit for your business. You may be surprised at how much food (and other types) of waste you create. It will also enable you to develop personalised solutions for your own organisation and save you money!

• Provide education and/or training for employees on how to prevent and reduce waste in the offce.

• Develop targets or KPIs for your company to meet when it comes to reducing waste. It will give your team a way to measure and celebrate success.

• Set up a green team or have sta who are dedicated to implementing sustainable strategies and initiatives within your work environment.

• Liaise with all your contractors, from catering events to cleaning, to ensure you are all on the same page about both reducing and properly segregating your waste.