biobased farm to cafeteria march 2009
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BEYOND ORGANIC: GREENING YOUR FARM TO CAFETERIA PROGRAM
Biobased Food Service Ware -Considerations & Implementation Tips
Photo courtesy BPI
•Problems with Disposables •Biobased Food Service Ware•Oregon Biobased Food Service Ware Pilot•Considerations and Tips For Implementation
Presentation Objectives
Going the Distance and Shortening It!4th National Farm to Cafeteria ConferenceMarch 20, 2009
Arielle TozierProgram Assistant
Oregon Center for Environmental Health
Problems with Disposables Deplete resources End up in landfills, incinerators or oceans,
causing harm to humans and environment Contribute to global warming Manufacturing, shipping & disposal
contribute to air and water pollution Release toxic chemicals into environment
through production, use, & disposal May contaminate food from leaching
chemicals
Problems with Plastic Petroleum non-renewable
resource Recycling problematic Light weight – easily
becomes litter Persists in the environment Absorbs other persistent
pollutants Toxic chemicals associated
with manufacture, use, and disposal
Photo Courtesy of Best Life Online
Photo courtesy of The Ferris Files
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Biobased Food Service Ware Alternative to conventional plastic Derived wholly or in part from renewable forestry and agricultural resources:
Trees Corn Potatoes Wheat Sugar cane waste (bagasse) Perennial grasses Tapioca
Close the loop if compostedPhoto courtesy BPI
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Benefits of Composting Biobased Food Service Ware Facilitate composting
food-scrap and non-recyclable paper
Reduce volume of waste going to landfills and incinerators
May reduce reliance on fossil fuels
Revitalize farming and rural communities
Achieve overall improvements in human health and environmental quality Photo courtesy of Cedar Grove Composting
HCWH Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Hierarchy
Raw materials used Compostability Impacts of conventional
forestry and agricultural production
Chemical additives Use of GMO Use of nanomaterials Marine pollution
HCWH Purchasing Hierarchy for Food Service Ware:
Environmental Performance Across Life Cycle:
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Composting & Biobased Food Service Ware in Portland Hospitals
1989 Styrofoam ban – but Hospitals exempt
Availability of composting system
Disposable food service ware widely used in hospitals
Oregon Hospitals Biobased Service Ware Pilot 2006 Biobased Food Ware &
Composting Workgroup Representatives from 6
hospitals Baseline Survey:
Products Quantity Waste
Obtained samples and conducted initial screening Sustainability Cost performance
Food Ware Pilots Cutlery
Potato Corn
Clamshells Sugarcane PLA (corn) PLA (corn & other
blend)
Results Customer surveys:
high support no major performance issues
3 hospitals substituted: polystyrene bowls and plates with sugarcane
bowls and plates 1,653,000 items per year
polystyrene trays with 100% recycled paper trays 54,000 items per year
2 hospitals allocated additional funds 1 hospital using complete suite of
biobased products
Considerations and Tips for Implementation
Product information and availability Allergies not an issue Obtaining product information can be
challenging Additives - Not easy to ascertain
Industry is growing rapidly – be wary of green-washing Ask questions
Cost Partner hospitals addressed cost by:
Reducing use of disposables Putting items behind the counter
Charging premium for take-out Reducing waste haul fees through compost programs
Considerations and Tips for Implementation
Composting - Biobased materials do not provide as many benefits if they are not composted Not all certified compostable Not backyard compostable Not all composting facilities are the same
Ask about shredded products composting more quickly Request manufacturer-distributor arrangement to return used biobased materials for composting Compost shredding and dewatering can reduce waste and water costs
Considerations and Tips for Implementation Education and
Outreach Contamination of
recycling Confusion over what
to dispose of where Institutional Buy-in/
Support Include this as part
of your overall sustainability plan
Resources Oregon Center for Environmental Health –
www.oregon-health.org.org Health Care Without Harm –
www.noharm.org/food/issue Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative –http://www.sustainablebiomaterials.org Green Guide For Healthcare –
www.gghc.org