STEP THREE: RECYCLE AND COMPOST
Much of the conversation about food waste in restaurants has focused on making the most of every ingredient, sometimes called recycling or upcycling. Spent grains from a brewery becomes bread. Stale bread becomes breadcrumbs. Produce can be pickled or canned. Concepts like Shuggie’s Trash Pie in San Francisco highlight “upcycled” ingredients, like irregular or surplus produce from food manufacturing, “lower-on- the-food-chain” seafood and off cuts of meat. It’s designed to bring attention to the food waste problem while actually saving waste from landfills. McBride said she hears often from operators about such ideas, but notes that it’s important to “keep deliciousness at the center” of such recipes. “I mean, how much carrot-top pesto can you eat, and is it better than basil pesto? Not really,” she said. Of course, despite every effort, there is always going to be some waste, from egg shells and onion skins, to nut shells and strawberry stems. And that’s where composting is increasingly becoming that last- ditch diversion solution—at least in the few cities where it is available.
When organic waste is composted under controlled conditions (there are various methods) it produces less methane. The promise is that the organic waste can become a nutrient-rich product that can enhance the soil at farms that supply restaurants—a closed loop. And those farmers could rely less on chemical fertilizers. Organic waste can also be processed at digester facilities designed to capture methane, which then can be used as an alternative energy source or converted into biofuel, both reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Chipotle, for example, in its most recent sustainability report said 36% of the chain’s more than 3,000 restaurants now compost their food waste. But access to composting services can vary widely. Close to 80% of jurisdictions in California, for example, now require organic waste to be collected (from both businesses and residents). And there are 206 organic-waste processing facilities across the state, with 20 more under construction. In Los Angeles, for example, most restaurants are required to put organic waste in a separate bin, which haulers take away. Restaurant operators may not know which hauler is picking up their organic waste or where it ends up— it depends on the location. In sprawling Los Angeles County, the agency LA Sanitation handles wastewater and about one-fourth of the county’s trash, or about 21 million tons of waste each year. Of that, about 4,000 tons is food waste, said Will Chen, an engineer with the LA County Sanitation District. To divert from landfills, some of that waste ends up at a sophisticated facility that uses bacteria to feed on the food waste (mixed with waste water), speeding up the process. It captures the resulting methane (so it’s not released into the atmosphere), which is converted into biofuel—enough to both power the facility itself and supply a nearby fueling station as an alternative to
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JANUARY 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GANDOLFO
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