Eating like a pig is good for the environment

Pigs may not be accepted at Brown and Yale universities but they get to eat the food. For 10 years Brown University has collected nearly all of its food waste into a pile. A local farmer picks it up for palate appreciation at his piggery. Brown University saves dumping fees of approximately $50,000 a year while 700 tons of food is kept from landfills. The piggery produces tons of pork every year as the end product of their recycling effort. (Perrin 2001)
Yale’s pig farmer demands a collection fee and has been less than chummy with food service employees. They’ve looked for a friendlier farmer to take over but they don’t want to put all of their slop in one trough. If the prospects of pig farmer number two peters out, they may be stuck with the grouchy piggery proprietor for this important recycling task. (Perrin 2001)

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Pollution Prevention and Natural Resources and Environmental Assistance provides an online instruction guide to food waste recycling. http://www.p2pays.org/ref/04/03991.pdf

Food waste takes up 15 percent of landfills. The FDA in North Carolina keeps a list of hog farmers that are licensed garbage feeders. Before food can be fed to animals, it needs to be heated at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Campbell Soup Company of Maxton, N.C. donates six million pounds of food waste to a local hog farmer per year. (http://www.p2pays.org/ref/04/03991.pdf)

Besides using landfill space, food waste generates additional environmental impacts. If it is discharged to wastewater, it increases levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). It also adds to the total suspended solids (TSS) and fats, oils and grease (FOG). Food materials add odor and methane at disposal facilities and add BOD and COD to landfill leachate.

Recycling efforts are now common in most cities. However, food waste generally isn't considered a recycling component. In actuality, it is and needs to be managed. The environmental arm of planning departments would serve the public well by incorporating food waste recycling into a system on par with storm water management.

Works Cited

Perrin, Noel, “The Greenest Campuses: an Idiosyncratic Guide.” Chronicle of Higher Education; 4/6/2001, Vol. 47 Issue 30, pB7, 4p

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