Are you the type that never finishes a meal on the go ends up trashing it? Are you also the type that sees people in need of food on the streets asking for pocket change or food? We’ll Replate.org’s hope is to fix both these problems by bringing awareness of wasting less and helping more. If you have unwanted leftovers on the go, leave it on top of a nearby trashcan rather than in one so it doesn’t go to waste. I know this might seem odd at first, but I’ve countlessly seen people dig through trashcans seeking good edible food. It’s somewhat disheartening, but treat it like recycling… It’s still usable so help someone out by letting them know. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
I’ve always wondered about grocery stores, fast food joints, restaurants, etc throwing away perfectly good food(I see it alllll the time at grocery stores). I forget where, but I once read/heard that all the food thrown away in the states would be enough food for the 3rd world countries in need. For a brief video on this topic have a look at Current.tv‘s video on Freeganism. Here are a few other organizations surrounding this topic: Freegan.info and FoodNotBombs.net.
(thanks axel)
great post, tango…such a simple idea, which can have a very relevant impact.
spread the word!
Hi! Just discovered your web, and I can say you just got another person that will read you with frecuency. Really nice work.
Related to the topic. I work at an hospital’s kitchen in Uk (not for too long, time to go to uni and hopefully become a designer) and the waste we through out at the end of the day, is amazing. Apart from the money waste(which is what most bothers them..), I always think “why don’ t they just call some organization that will give this food to people that need it?”. Then the fact that all the stuff have to pay for their meals(yeah we don’t mind to through out loads off food, but pay for it). I suppose that…no one cares.
The idea of the post is great, at least people should start being more concious of the value of food in this world.
I agree with your concept. I work for a small NGO in Melbourne called SecondBite. We make a positive difference to people by identifying and collecting sources of surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to food relief agencies who use the fresh produce to make nutritious meals for homeless and disadvanaged people. Last year we rescued 132 tonnes of fresh food from ending up as landfill. This was enough food to create 264,000 hearty 500gm meals. This was a saving of over 160 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions! see http://www.secondbite.org
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I love the idea of recycling food. I’m a server, and it hurts me everytime I or someone else throws away perfectly good food. I have always wanted to figure out a way that restaurants could save leftovers (using good judgement, of course) to donate to people who are less fortunate. If anyone has any suggestions to help get this idea in full swing, please comment. I just hate to waste, especially today with the economy in the shape that it is. I really only have dreams of helping, and no idea how to get things started.