The fight against food waste

Food waste in the United States has long been a pressing issue. According to Feeding America, more than $408 billion worth of food is thrown away each year. This equates to nearly 40% of all food in the nation. 

Central Michigan University has been taking steps to combat these food waste issues. 

According to Tyson Dubay, the CMU Dining resident district manager, CMU recorded a 1.3 ton decrease in food waste between August and October, compared to the same time frame last year.

Dubay declined to comment for this story, but provided data related to food waste and reduction efforts via email. 

According to the data, there was an 18% increase in post-consumer waste collected from the composting bins in the dining halls. On the other hand, there has been an 18% decrease in the amount of food waste coming from CMU Dining. This includes a decrease in the overproduction of food, and the amount of waste coming from food preparation, such as food trimmings.

According to CMU’s website, its composting program has worked to decrease the amount of post-consumer and production waste going to landfills.

The program originally started in 2016 with facility management driving the collected campus food waste from the dining halls to Morgan Composting, three times a week. The waste is then made into compost, fertilizer and soil, which is brought back to be used in CMU’s garden beds and on the Jack Saunders Marching Band Field.  

One of the contributors at the forefront of this composting effort has been Central Sustainability. 

According to CMU’s website, the group was founded in 2020 with its mission to create a more holistic approach to sustainability on campus. They have done this by focusing on projects, policies and programing that promotes the overall growth of institutional sustainability through education and collaboration. 

Since 2018 CMU has maintained the composting program to address food waste coming from the dining halls Meghan VanDamme, the sustainability coordinator at Central Sustainability, said that they have sought to expand these efforts. The group hopes to involve students without meal plans who may not have access to composting services. 

Last year, Central Sustainability placed composting bins in various locations, such as the Northwest Apartments, to make it easier for students to participate in the program.  

VanDamme said the group hopes to expand the program to include graduate housing. 

Aside from their composting program, Central Sustainability has worked to bring more attention to the amount of food waste people generate through different educational programs, such as their plate waste audits. 

These audits involve students weighing the amount of food they throw out after they finish eating in the dining halls. 

VanDamme said that typically, in only one of the campus dining halls, the group sees about 200 pounds of food wasted within the span of an hour during their audits. 

“We go beyond just the composting efforts to narrow the food waste reduction from the source,” VanDamme said. “Because composting is just a way to handle a problem that already exists.” 

Every year, Central Sustainability sends out a campus survey to gauge student knowledge on sustainability. 

VanDamme said that typically 90% of the survey’s respondents said sustainability is something that they care about. However, less than half of them said their high school education taught them about it.

“It’s so interesting, because a lot of students say they feel like they have not learned enough about it and then a majority say it is something they care about,” VanDamme said. “So, we’re really trying to bridge the gap of making sure students receive those resources and receive support and education around sustainability.”

Central Sustainability hosts multiple educational events every month, such as walking tours that showcase the university’s sustainable initiatives on campus and highlight the opportunities available for students.  

However, due to recent budget restraints, Central Sustainability has had to cut many of these educational programs. 

The group, which was previously funded by Facilities Management, recently stopped receiving funding from the department after it went through budget cuts. 

VanDamme said Central Sustainablity has been actively looking for funding from other departments since. 

“Our videos were played up at basketball and football games,” VanDamme said. “We were also able to table at basketball and football games, and we can no longer do any of those things. And also, small stuff, like you won’t see many posters from us anymore because we don’t have a printing budget. Types of events that cost us money, we do not host anymore.” 

VanDamme said the group is still trying to adjust to these changes. 

During the latest Student Government Association meeting, Central Sustainability proposed a $5 student “green fee,” to help fund the group and future projects on campus. 

The current proposed legislation is still undergoing changes. An edited version will be presented at the next SGA meeting. 

An outside perspective

Sunny Lee is an international student from South Korea. Since coming to America a year and a half ago, she recognized the significant differences in how food waste is handled compared to her home country. Lee said South Korea takes a nationwide, cohesive approach towards food waste management – a stark contrast, from the United States. 

One key distinction, she said, is the overall responsibility to sort their trash into separate categories, such as plastic, paper and recyclables. 

However, she said food waste holds a particular importance in South Korea, where special machines are used for disposing food in places such as apartment complexes, school cafeterias and restaurants.

Lee said in their apartments, people use ID cards linked to their living units to weigh the food waste they dispose of. If the weight exceeds the normal range, the excess cost is billed to the individual’s apartment. 

Restaurants in South Korea are also required to handle food waste separately, minimizing moisture content to prevent the release of the greenhouse gas, methane. 

“I think the biggest part is that the people really try to separate food waste from other trash,” Lee said. “That’s what makes it very, very efficient. Because, as far as I know, citizens just dump it and it’s the recycling body (center) that needs to do everything, so it’s not very efficient.” 

Lee said South Koreans are more regulated and judgmental of waste disposal, which places pressure on individuals to follow the rules. 

In contrast, she has observed that in the U.S., environmental issues tend to be viewed through a more political lens, with varying levels of commitment to responsible waste management. 

Since coming to the U.S., Lee said she has become more wasteful because of the lack of a waste distribution system. 

“When I first came here, I got really shocked about food waste going to the same place as other trash and I got confused,” she said. “Is it the right way? I’m like researching and I cannot find anything, so I just started dumping everything together.” 

On the other hand, Joseph Marah, an international student from Sierra Leone, said this hasn’t been the case for him. 

Since coming to the U.S., his own food waste practices have remained rooted in his Sierra Leonean upbringing, compelling him to appreciate food more and waste less.

Marah said in his home country, neighbors routinely exchange meals, ensuring little goes to waste. 

He also highlighted the influence of religious and cultural values on food consumption. Some ethnic groups such as the Mandinka and the Fula, strictly adhere to not wasting food, believing it to be disrespectful to discard what is considered “God’s sustenance.” 

Marah said attitudes towards food waste in Sierra Leone are also heavily influenced by the country’s economic situation. 

“The average Leonean lives on $1.25 a day and as a result, it’s very difficult to access food,” he said. 

This financial constraint makes it difficult for many to stockpile food for extended periods or to afford significant quantities. 

“We don’t have too much,” Marah said. “So in essence, we don’t even have the opportunity to waste it.”

Marah said Americans have a surplus of food due to the ease of access and affordability of food, leading to greater instances of food waste. 

“We’ll see if the culture does embark on what I do, but I don’t think the culture has really changed me” Marah said. “I really have a heart for people and I know where I come from. ... Now, if anything, I think I’ve had more appreciation for food when I see too much of it here.”