Lesson 3: Chapter 1: What is good waste management?

Food Waste Education Lesson 3: Chapter 1: What is good waste management?

So far, we have been looking at why we need to reduce food waste and this lesson is going to show you how to start doing this in a food business. There will almost always be some food waste in a food business, the unavoidable part. It is important that this is managed correctly. In this lesson, an overview of the current waste data for the sector will be introduced, including some of the key findings and national waste statistics.

This graph below shows the breakdown of all waste collected across all commercial sectors in Ireland in 2008, 2018 and 2022. As shown, organic material (mainly food) is the single biggest component of commercial waste in Ireland.

If this food waste went into the brown bin instead of the black bin, there would be a big decrease in general waste from businesses, and more organic material to recycle into products.

Total tonnes of waste by material type

Tonnage of commercial waste every year (actual)

Tonnage of commercial waste every year (correct use)

As shown by these graphs, based on the national data collected in 2018, there is potential to decrease the amount of waste ending up in the general waste stream from nearly half a million tonnes to 135,000 tonnes.

A 50% increase in recyclable material collection and a 4 fold increase in organic material collection is possible with correct bin usage. All of these would contribute to a much more circular economy and are all related to better waste management practices in Irish businesses.

The general waste coming from Irish businesses and institutions across the country contains 33% organic waste, mainly food. This food waste should be going into brown bin.

Click here to see graphic.

There is even food found in the recycling bins, which shouldn’t be there. This food waste should also be going into brown bins…

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Where brown bins are in place in Ireland’s commercial sector, they are being used correctly, but more use of brown bins is needed.

Click here to see graphic.

2018 data, Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

By leveraging modern technologies, we can significantly cut down on the amount of food that goes to waste in commercial settings. Smart appliances, apps, and data-driven systems are now widely available to monitor food use, track expiration dates, and optimise food inventory management.