getting sm4rter about food waste
DESCRIPTION
Speaker: Courtney Daniels Session: Reduction of Waste in the Food System, Municipal and Ministry of Environment StrategiesTRANSCRIPT
Getting SM4RTer about Food Waste
Courtney DanielsProgram Manager,
SM4RT LIVING Solid Waste Master PlanYork Region
Bring Food Home Conference November 19, 2013
York Region – At a Glance
2
• 1.1 million residents• 9 local municipalities• Urban and rural areas• Joint responsibility for
waste management
The SM4RT LIVING Plan
A comprehensive program for managing waste in York Region for the next 25‐40 years
Focus on reduction and reuse as the major opportunities for innovation
Builds partnerships and community connections to deliver common objectives
Source: Value Chain Management Centre, 2010
Half of all food waste occurs at home
Where is Food Waste Happening?
$27 Billion worth of food is wasted every year
Production Disposal costs
The full cost of food waste
Consumer costs
How much edible food are we throwing in the green bin?
Food waste is costing York Region households an average of $700 ‐ $1500 a year
How are York residents disposing of their food waste?
What is the Region’s business case for a food waste strategy?“The environmental costs of letting good food go to waste are staggering. Governments can’t reach into our homes and force us to eat our crusts, but they should be providing us with the knowledge, tools and incentives to help us to stop wasting food”
Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (October 2012)
Image Source: US EPA and USDA
Focus for York Region
• Residents• Municipal
facilities
York Region survey results reflect similar trends to research in the UK and US
Fruit and vegetable waste
Uneaten leftovers
Plate scrapings
Soiled paper products
Spoiled produce
Food past its best before date
Diapers
Pet waste
Animal bones/meat waste
Food/kitchen waste (unspecified
Coffee grinds/tea bags
No one specific thing
Other
Don't know
The Story behind Household Food Waste
We asked York residents: “what are the biggest contributors to your green bin waste?”
What we heard from the community
“I was making at least three shopping trips a week…. Now I make one trip each week because I’m better organized; we waste less food and spend less time and money and as a result, we have more time together as a family. “
“When we start to acknowledge and really value the process that brings food to our tables, our relationship to food changes ‐ for the better.”
“Some of the things we were doing were embarrassing and hard to admit, like the amount of food we waste in a week…”
What’s happening in other communities?
Where do we start?
Food waste audits
Surveys and Focus groups
Pilot Projects
Food Waste Reduction Campaign
Where do we want to be?
Food Waste Reduction Campaign
15% reduction in green bin material by 2031
