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Soild Waste: Food Waste
Tribal Casino Best Management Practices
What?
Why?
Food service is often the largest casino function after gaming, and requires
significant resources in the form of employees, energy and water, food and
packaging. In addition, casinos typically offer food services during most parts
of the day and night, generating large
amounts of solid waste. Waste reduction
and diversion provide not only environmental
benefits, but also cost savings.
Organic materials including food trimmings,
post-consumer food scraps (plate scrapings),
waxed cardboard, paper containers, and
napkins, comprise the largest component of
the waste stream.
• Industry estimates between 4% and 10% of purchased food becomes waste
before it is served, and an equal amount is wasted after that.1
• Restaurants generate about 1 pound/seat/day or 17 pounds/employee/day
of solid waste, of which 37% is food waste.2
• When food waste goes to the landfill, its decomposition generates large
amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas with 21 times the impact of carbon
dioxide.
Food service has multiple steps including purchasing, storing, preparing,
serving, cleaning, and disposing of food, and each step presents opportunities
to minimize food waste. With the continual focus on cost reduction, increasing
interest in sustainability, and more waste diversion options, casinos can realize
both the environmental benefits and cost savings of minimizing food waste.
Reduce costs of food purchases and solid waste disposal with little
additional labor.
Reduce food purchases by minimizing food waste at each step from
purchasing through serving.
Reduce disposal costs by minimizing food waste. (For casinos charged by
the ton for solid waste disposal, savings will be immediate, and for those
charged a fixed monthly fee, renegotiation of contract may be required to
recognize savings.)
Reduce environmental footprint by wasting less food and reducing the
associated greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, water use,
fertilizer and pesticide use, transportation, and landfill space required.
Demonstrate environmental commitment to customers, community,
employees, and regulators.
1 Leanpath (www.leanpath.corrO
CalRecycle, Estimated Solid Waste Generation Rates for Service Establishments
(www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WasteChar/WasteGenRates/Service.htm')
2010
EPA-909-F-09-006
EPA Region 9 contact: Jessica Counts-Arnold, Pollution Prevention Coordinator; counts-arno/d. Jessica (gieDa.aov
This fact sheet was produced by EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office. Mention of trade names, products, or services does not
convey, and should not be interpreted as conveying official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation.
Printed on 100% recycled paper, 50% post-consumer content - process chlorine-free.
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Soild Waste: Food Waste
Tribal Casino Best Management Practices
How?
Food Recovery Hierarchy
i. Divide and Conquer. Assess
each step of food service from
purchasing to serving to
identify sources of waste.
Distinguish between "pre-
consumer" food waste
(generated by staff during
storage and preparation) and
"post-consumer" food waste
(discarded by customers) and
address them with appropriate
solutions.
2. Assign Costs and Track. Food
waste is costly in both wasted
resources and handling and
disposal costs. Tracking food waste
can be as simple as weighing waste containers or
involve more detailed data collection (see Resources).
o Examine purchase records and waste disposal data from waste haulers to
better understand your waste stream and areas to reduce waste.
o Interview staff and inspect garbage cans to determine the source of both
regular and infrequent sources.
o Calculate potential cost savings from reducing and diverting food waste,
www.epa.qov/wastes/conserve/materials/orqanics/food/tools/index.htm.
3. Make Source Reduction the Goal. EPA's Food Waste Hierarchy (see
above) favors reducing food waste before it occurs which offers not only the
largest environmental benefits, but also the largest cost savings. Obtain
management buy-in, engage staff from each food service operation to
identify quantitative goals, and ask:
o What cost savings can we achieve if we meet our goal?
o Will reducing food waste contribute to customer loyalty and recognition
(e.g., LEED, Green Seal, WasteWise - see companion factsheet, Green
Certifications and Ratings')?
o What other benefits can be realized? Portion size and healthier
customers/employees? Relationships with local composting operations?
4. Analyze Current Waste Disposal Process and Contract. Many casinos
contract with a waste hauler to provide both disposal and diversion including
recycling and composting. The payment structure of the contract is critical
to realizing savings and incentivizing reductions. To determine the best
approach ask:
o Will food waste reductions reduce disposal costs? Is waste disposal
charged by the ton or a lump sum per month regardless of amount?
o Does the waste hauler provide training and containers to facilitate food
waste reductions? Diversion options like animal feed or composting?
.."'•"X
2010
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SO.
Soild Waste: Food Waste
Tribal Casino Best Management Practices
Life Cycle of Food
Food
Preparation &
Consumption
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Water Pollution
Waste to Landfills Air Pollution
Other Emissions to Land, Air, & Water
Challenges:
Overcoming Resistance: Cooks and food service workers take pride in
offering customers high quality meals. Suggestions that food is wasted can
be interpreted as offensive or critical. A diplomatic approach, recognition of
existing efficient use of food, and an emphasis on cost savings is often better
received.
Data Collection: Collecting empirical data on food waste can take many
forms from simple calculations based on the weight of food waste containers
to more involved and sophisticated software and measurement systems.
Choose an approach that works for your venue and start slowly if needed
and expand as necessary.
Requiring Change: Making significant reductions can be operationally
simple or involve extensive equipment and procedural changes. Either way,
change is required and often viewed by affected staff as an intrusion on their
primary goal of serving customers quality food.
Space Requirements: Reducing food waste typically begins with
separating it from the rest of the waste stream at the point of generation,
and those areas in the kitchen are commonly congested. Study the workflow
and staff's movements and utilize the wide array of containers available to
minimize the space and effort required.
2010
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Soild Waste: Food Waste
Tribal Casino Best Management Practices
Resources:
EPA Food Waste Management Tools and Resources,
www.eDa.QOv/wastes/conserve/materials/orqanics/food/fd-res.htm: EPA website covering all
aspects of food waste including tools, factsheets, and guides and links to non-EPA resources.
EPA Food Waste Management Cost Calculator,
www.epa.qov/wastes/conserve/materials/orqanics/food/tools/index.htm: This spreadsheet
estimates the costs of alternatives to food waste disposal including source reduction, donation
and compost. The calculator
allows the user to input data
specific to their circumstances
including access to composting and $25,000 n
kitchen grease vendors, and waste
costs and calculates savings over $20,000 -\
multiple time periods (see example at
Total Savings of Alternative Scenario and Source Reduction
Compared to Baseline Scenario
right).
The Calculator demonstrates that
environmentally and socially
responsible food waste
management is cost-effective for
many facilities and waste streams.
515,000 -
310,000 -
55,000 -
$0
1 Year
3 Years
6 Years
10 Years
Green Seal GS-46, Standard for Restaurant and Foodservice Operations,
www.qreenseal.org/certification/standards/qs46 restaurantfoodsvcs.cfm: Green Seal
established GS-46 to delineate environmental standards for restaurants and food service
operations for a variety of "key impact areas" — food, waste, and energy. In the area of food
waste, the standard identifies levels of environmental performance with specific goals and best
practices.
CalRecycle, www.calrecycle.ca.qov/Publications/default.asp?cat=20: California's guide to
minimizing food waste from restaurants. Provides an overview and tips for each point of food
waste generation from purchasing, handling and storage, preparation, and serving.
WasteWise, www.eDa.gov/eDawaste/DartnershiDS/wastewise/about.htm: EPA runs
WasteWise as a free, voluntary program through which organizations eliminate costly
municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the
environment. WasteWise, launched in 1994, has more than 2000 partners including two
tribal casinos and three other casinos.
In conjunction with WasteWise, EPA launched the Food Recovery Challenge
(www.eDa.qov/foodrecovervchallenqe') to encourage and help venues reduce food waste
reaching landfills. The Food Recovery Challenge provides tools to venues as well as recognizes
leaders in reducing food waste.
2010
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