Eat it. Share it. Just don’t toss it!

us-food-loss_WeB

Last month, the secretary of the Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency set the first national goal to reduce food waste in the United States. By 2030, they plan to cut by half the amount that ends up in municipal landfills.

A 2013 report says Americans throw away 35 million tons of food waste. So go ahead, just open your wallet and toss almost $400 into the trash.

Logo for Waste Cooking
Logo for a European movement to cook with discarded food.

What are we talking about? Wilted and gone-sour fresh produce in your fridge. Over-shopping, buying in bulk and letting it go bad, discarding “ugly” fruits and vegetables instead of cutting out the bad parts and consuming the rest. And what do you do with all those leftovers after the big party?

The issue has given rise to creativity: Waste cooking is a movement to cook only discarded food and website with recipes and a 5-episode web video program. One of the organizers has diversified into a catering company that cooks with only discarded food. They named their company Iss Mich! and call it bio-catering.

The topic of food waste came as a recent listener suggestion, and in today’s show, we’ll talk about how Anchorage handles food waste. We’ll also share tips the average smart consumer can use to avoid this kind of waste. If you do have extra food, learn where, what and how you can share it locally.

As always, we welcome the wisdom of our listeners. Please call with questions and share your ideas.

Listen Now:

HOST: Kathleen McCoy

GUESTS:

  • ›Karla Jutzi , Food Bank of Alaska
  • Danny Consenstein, USDA
  • Mark Madden, Solid Waste Services
  • Cathy Steen, Green Sanctuary
  • You, our listeners

LINKS:

Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752  (statewide) during the live broadcast (2:00 – 3:00pm)

  • Send email to hometown@alaskapublic.org before, during or after the live broadcast (e-mails may be read on air)
  • Post your comment or question below (comments may be read on air)

LIVE BROADCAST: Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Alaska time)

REPEAT BROADCAST: Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Alaska time)

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