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Posting March, 2008:
Raymond Communications recently published a Bulletin newsletter story about a Japanese supermarket
chain that accepts customers’ food waste for composting. It then distributes the compost to farmers who
use it to grow the fruits and veggies that eventually are sold to the supermarket’s customers.
What a shining example of how recycling and the grocery biz can work synergistically, I thought! Could
such a model work in the United States, a place culturally an ocean apart from the land of anime and
oxygen bars? Hmmmm. Let’s consider some possible obstacles.
The convenience factor. It has proven difficult to get most U.S. shoppers to return their
used thin-film plastic bags to supermarkets for recycling. Asking them to first fill those same bags with
a week’s worth of potato peelings and gooey Hot Pocket remnants could be a non-starter.
The stink factor. Rotting shrimp, as just one example, is not a smell most Americans
welcome in their kitchens, cars, supermarkets or sock drawers. I have visited Asian supermarkets where
a pungent olfactory presence is no big deal. But in America, it’s the smell of Cinnabon, not aging
albacore tuna, wafting down the aisles that shoppers prefer.
The local factor. Unless you live in California, Texas, Florida or some other state that
grows produce YEAR ROUND, chances are much of your produce comes from places where you’d need a passport
to visit. Shipping rotting food waste to “the locals” in Costa Rico or Caracas could be interpreted as a
declaration of war by some. Then again, Hugo Chavez has been kind enough to give poorer Americans free or
low-cost home heating oil this winter. Can’t we return the favor by shipping him a boatload or two of our
spent corn husks and egg shells?
The organic factor. What happens if the food waste you return to your neighborhood
supermarket contains preservatives and artificial ingredients? If organic farmers use such “contaminated”
compost, does that not invalid their products’ claims of “purity?” Outraged organic food enthusiasts
might demand that their political leaders enact RoAS (Restriction of Adulterating Substances)
Directive legislation.
The why me factor. Grocers may ask why should they alone should bear the burden of
collecting and composting our food waste? What about their brethren in the restaurant biz? Should not
extended producer responsibility apply equally to, say… Chinese takeout? For the sake of fairness,
each order of takeout kung pao would nee to come with a takeback policy.
The food waste-to-energy factor. It seems each day someone has a new plan to incinerate
food waste, or convert it into ethanol… or biodiesel… or methane… or enriched uranium. My brother is
working on a technology to run his TV on stale pierogis. Hey, why compost food when we could be using it to power
the international space station!
As you can see, the obstacles to we Americans returning our food waste to our food suppliers are
insurmountable. I guess we either all need to move to Japan or simply not create anymore food waste. That
means we stop eating food, or we eliminate the part we waste.
I prefer the latter option, so I’m doing my part by developing tasty recipe for deep-fried cereal boxes.
Cardboard is an excellent source of fiber.
I’m Bruce Popka, and I’m a little green around the edges.
You can email Bruce with your comments at bruce@raymond.com.
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