How Restaurants can Reduce

I am a server and a bartender at a restaurant. The amount of waste I encounter each day is awful. There is usually no recycling bins located at these establishments. It is very hard to be environmentally conscience and work in a restaurant. I give people about 75 plastic straws a day, wash about 200 plus dishes, and throw away countless glass and aluminum bottles. As well as materials that are used to put the food and beverage in restaurants throw away a ton of food!
America Definitely has people who are starving. Many people have little to know access of fresh fruit and vegetables let alone a steady supply of food to fulfill their nourishment. It would be nice to imagine a future where the waste from restaurants was turned into something useful. Possibly their food can be turned into compost for local farms and gardens that could supply the restaurant. A program could be set up so that glass bottles could be returned and reused to save on cost and waste. Even the ability to distribute food to those in need is a possibility. Rethinking how we use waste is just one way we can make a difference. Lets look at some ways restaurants are or can begin to do this.
Food for fuel. Much of the food waste ends up in the landfill and that is causing a large release of methane gas into the air. Just another way humans are contributing to the disruption of natural cycles. According to an article by Elizabeth Daigneau titled "Turning Americas' Bad Food-Waste Habit Into Renewable Energy" she states that most Americans do not care how their food is effecting the environment. Well some cities have decided to make it seem more interesting by adding economic incentives. By researching ways food can become a renewable resource these cities are pairing the economic interests with environmental. Organic waste can essentially be turned into bio-gas which can be used to operate city transportation fleets and eventually power homes and businesses. Not only would this save on money for power but it would eliminate the amount of waste and trips that make their way to the land fill. "San Jose, Calif., as an example of an effective bio-gas project. The city collects food waste from restaurants and commercial businesses, processes it in 16 anaerobic digesters until methane is produced and then, in turn, uses it to power the facility and create fuel for city vehicles" (Daigneau).
Compost. Fresh fruit and veggies are cut up daily in many establishments. Their scraps are thrown straight into the trash. Recycled city is a local business that pairs with Bukashi Bucket a self composting bucket and local businesses to help create compost and distribute it to urban farms. This means that everything is staying local as well as reducing waste. This company is making aclose loop when it comes to waste. The farms that provide us with food will then get that food back from the businesses they sell to in the form of compost. Here is a video from the founder of the company Recycled City. Basically they are taking the foot work out by distributing it to local urban farms.

Food waste is a large issue of the United States and restaurants are a growing industry. There is a need for solutions to eliminate food waste. Hunger is a worldwide epidemic, while we throw away tons of food others are starving. While we get the freshest produce others are forced to have poor quality food.  Many countries are jumping on board the elimination of wasting food. France has made it illegal to throw out food waste and is donating it to those in need (White). It helps with reduced waste and reduced hunger. The idea of equal distribution keeps coming up in my blogs. It is the most important aspect of  improvement of society. While many live in excess some live in poverty. Lets work together to help the environment and each other.
Sources:
Daigneau, Elizabeth. "Turning Americas' Bad Food-Waste Habit Into Renewable Energy". Governing the State and Localities; Infrastructure.March 2016 . Web. 4 March 2016. http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-food-renewable-energy.html
Recycled City. Composting Made Easy. 2013. Website. 3 March 2016. http://www.recycledcity.com/
White, Daniel. "French Parliament Unanimously Approves to cut Food Waste". Time; World. 11 December 2015. Web. 3 March 2016. http://time.com/4146012/france-food-waste-law/