Food Recycling

Food waste is best managed through prevention--just don't waste food! Shop smart, order appropriately, eat sensibly, clean your plate. Realistically though, there will always be preparation trimmings, plate scrapings, and leftovers, whether you operate a family kitchen or a fine restaurant. At home, much of this material can be turned into valuable soil amendments through the simple technique of composting or feeding a worm box. At the commercial scale, there are increasingly available opportunities to divert food scraps from disposal to large scale composting or vermicomposting.

Food Waste Management	Information on how to recycle valuable food discards and keep them from going to landfills.
Business Waste Reduction Fact Sheets	Industry specific factsheets with tips to reducing waste and saving money. Thumbnail case studies.
Backyard Composting	Backyard composting yields a rich soil amendment which can be used in gardens and landscaping, saving homeowners money usually spent on soil conditioners and fertilizers.
Worm Composting	Redworms eat food scraps, converting this organic matter to nutrient-rich food for plants.

Last updated: August 29, 2008

Organic Materials Management http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Organics/
Pat Paswater: PPaswater@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6593