Plastic beverage bottles aren't the only items inundating landfills across the country. Believe it or not, tons of food leftovers and scraps end up in landfills every year. Unfortunately, food waste also emits methane as it breaks down, making it a major contributor to global warming as well.
So why not use these leftovers to feed farm animals instead?
While many restaurants have been slow to jump on board, Darden Restaurants, the owners of popular chain restaurants such as Olive Garden and Long Horn Steakhouse have been sending food scraps and leftovers that are not suitable for food banks to an recycling pilot program that converts these scraps and leftovers into animal feed. Universities such as Rutgers have also instituted a similar program, and some grocery stores have instituted a similar policy.
Though the program has a long way to go in order to make a significant impact on the 60 million tons of food wasted each year, it's encouraging that conversations about ways to reduce food waste are finally taking place.
To read more about the program, check out this article in the Huffington Post.
Visit our website to learn more about your role in today's food ecosystem.