Time for the big questions. Where does wasted food and what new developments have been put into action? Firstly, I think one thing is for sure, but two things are for certain – everyone loves food. Food tends to bring communities together and enables people to engage with one another. However, like previously mentioned at times we indulge without thinking on the consequences of the leftovers. Just like every man-made production there has been some repercussion, which we very blatantly experience, such as climate change. The discarding of wasted food plays an even important role on the well-being of the environment. How often do you think ‘Wow, I wonder where that piece of chocolate I tossed out went?’ Rarely, right? This is exactly what majority of hotels do, as well, once food is thrown out, they feel it is beyond their control and do not feel the need to deal with any repercussions outside their facility. Food waste always ends up in the trash and from the trash they are transported to landfills. This wastage generates methane which is a greenhouse gas. Methane has been proven to have far more negative effects on the environment as compared to carbon dioxide. Why so? Methane leads to global warming because it absorbs the sun’s heat and it remains trapped in the environment causing an overheated climate. To some people, this may be a minor issue, however, what hotels and others fail to realize is that an increase in methane affects food production, and this can have a great impact on their business. For example, with the rise in heat may cause animals to seek new ecosystems because their current one is destroyed. For example, fish may seek a new area because water is drying up too quickly. Eventually, the hotels would not only lose customers, but may seek for conniving alternatives to attain food.
On the bright side, due to innovation, there are new developments that can be put into action. One of the ways hotels could investigate reducing food wastage is enabling their employees to see the value of each item being wasted. With the visibility of data, employees can weigh each item and record the data on a software. An advanced software installed in hotel systems would allows employees and managers to know the quantity of carbon emission each item possesses and the cost price of the food. At times, food is ordered in bulk and workers at the hotels are not able to see how costly it may cost to produce on item or how much it costs at the marketplace, so being offered an opportunity to see the price may allow them to reflect on their proceeding action. Secondly, foods could be separated into different bins. Instead of having plastic bottles, wine bottles, bread or leftover mac and cheese all thrown in one bin. It could be placed in recyclable bins with labels. For example, the plastic bottles can be thrown in the plastic section, the bread could be placed in organic section. This would allow hotels to analyze their waste and it would bring about the idea of composting. Rather than wasting food, the hotels would be replacing lost food by growing more. Food appropriate for compost could be sent to farms, whereby it could be used as a fertilizer on soils to grow new food. Concluding as customers, we too have the duty to follow suit and place each waste in its appropriate section. Yes, we cannot change the world overnight, but when we work together as a community, it almost certainly feels like we can.
Sources:
https://www.traveller.com.au/hotels-and-food-waste-what-happens-to-breakfast-buffet-leftovers-h1m3lq
The Food Wastage in the Hotel Industry 