Where Does Your Food Waste Go? Sustainability Really Matters f the 11,428 tonnes of municipal solid waste landfilled each day in 2018 in Hong Kong, some 3,565 tonnes (or 31%) comprised food waste! In line with its sustainability policy to minimise (and support new technologies that minimise) its environmental footprint, the Club has adopted a multi-pronged approach to reducing, reusing and recycling its food waste. Reduce. Members now have options to order ‘medium’ sized portions of certain popular dishes to minimise the potential for food waste. That said, given the increase in portion and plate sizes across the developed countries over the years, perhaps a mind-shift is needed towards consuming just the right amount of food, rather than supersized portions. The F&B team has also downsized menus and eliminated dishes that are rarely ordered to address the problem of unused ingredients. Reuse. The Club is a partner of Foodlink Foundation – a registered Hong Kong charity dedicated to fighting hunger, building self-sufficiency, and fostering nutritional wellness among those in need. The Club participates in Foodlink’s Hot Food Program and Banquet Program by keeping surplus food refrigerated until collection by Foodlink where it is then re-heated and served on-site to those in need. In total, our donations to Foodlink over the past two years translated to an average of 50 meals a month for its beneficiaries. Recycle. As it turns out, we cannot turn water into wine but we can turn food waste into water. The kitchens at the Kellett clubhouse are running a trial of an ORCA machine which converts food waste (pretty much everything other than ribs from tomahawk steak cuts) into liquid using ORCA’s proprietary microbial mixtures. The liquid can be safely discharged into the Club’s existing plumbing, saving the original food waste a trip to the landfill. The trial machine digest 13kg of food waste per hour and is being used approximately 12 hours a day. That’s over 4000 kg of food waste a month! Food is expensive. Beyond the sticker price to the consumer, food production typically involves deforestation, the use of fertilisers and pesticides and the consumption of fossil fuels in transportation, so please be aware of the food cycle and eat mindfully and consciously.
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| JANUARY 2021 AHOY!
