[USCC] Food waste generation estimates

[Craig Coker]

Colleagues:

 

The Organics Recycling Committee of VRA, in association with the Institute
for Local Self-Reliance and Virginia Tech University, have been
collaborating on a project to develop a GIS model of organic waste sources
and recycling opportunities in Virginia, thanks to funding provided by the
RCC program in EPA Region 3.

 

The GIS model is similar to previous efforts in PA, CT and MA and aggregates
food waste generation, by type of establishment and by zip code, throughout
the state.  The unit waste generation figures we are using are based on
Jones (2004) in Using Contemporary Archaeology and Applied Anthropology to
Understand Food Loss in the American Food System, who reports on the USDA
Food Loss Study, which concluded that commercial sources "lost" significant
amounts of food:

 

Fast Food Establishment                        418.42 lbs/store/day (9.6% of
food coming into store) 

Convenience Store                                 52.72 lbs/store/day
(26.3%)

Full Service Restaurant                           138.19 lbs/store/day
(3.1%)

Supermarket                                          120.79 lbs/store/day
(0.76%)

 

We may have an opportunity this fall to "ground-truth" this data in the
Northern Virginia region of the state, which, as you know, is a suburban
area to Washington, D.C. and has a high concentration of these commercial
food waste sources, along with significant institutional sources (Federal
agency buildings, etc.).

 

Does anyone know of more recent unit waste generation data for these types
of food waste generators? We'd like to update the model with more accurate
data, and the budget is not going to be able to handle real-world dumpster
diving.

 

Many thanks for your advice!

 

Regards,

Craig Coker

Chairman, Organics Committee, VRA

 

 

Craig Coker | Coker Composting & Consulting

1213 Spradlin Rd., Vinton, VA 24179

Tel.: (540) 890-1086, Fax: (540) 890-1087

Cell: (540) 874-5168, Email:  <mailto:cscoker at verizon.net>
cscoker at verizon.net

Web:  <http://www.cokercompost.com> www.cokercompost.com.

 

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