Sustainability & Environment

Sustainable foodservice sourcing is the largest single lever for foodservice operations to reduce environmental impact. Where the food comes from, how it’s grown or raised, how it travels, and what packaging it arrives in collectively determine the foodservice operation’s environmental footprint. This is the basics primer covering local sourcing, organic, plant-forward, seasonal, and the practical…

Disposable plastic razors generate substantial waste — a single user shaving regularly disposes of 30-100 razors annually, contributing to over 2 billion razors going to US landfills each year. The compostable alternative isn’t always strictly compostable but always dramatically reduces waste. Safety razors, bamboo razors, and razor recycling programs each address the category. Here’s the…

The greenhouse gas case for composting is real but more nuanced than common claims suggest. Composting does avoid landfill methane, which is substantially worse than CO2 per ton of organic material. But composting also produces some emissions, requires energy for industrial operations, and the actual climate benefit varies significantly based on disposal infrastructure and operational…

Wedding favors are small gifts given to guests, traditionally a way to thank attendees for celebrating. The category has substantial waste profile — cheap trinkets in plastic packaging, single-use plastic items, gimmicky gifts that get tossed within weeks. The compost-friendly alternative replaces these with experiences, edibles, plantables, or items guests actually keep and use.

Thanksgiving table dressing produces a specific decision moment annually — what tablecloth covers the holiday meal? The standard choices include polyester, plastic-coated paper, conventional cotton, and increasingly, sustainable alternatives. Cotton (washable and reusable), recycled fabric, and compostable rolled paper each fit different priorities. Here’s the practical guide to picking the right Thanksgiving tablecloth.

Dog waste in compost is one of the more controversial composting questions. The standard advice is ‘absolutely not’ — pathogen concerns, parasite risks, and contamination of garden soil are real reasons. But a more nuanced answer exists for households committed to handling pet waste responsibly. Specific composting setups handle dog waste safely; others don’t.

Old pasta — both cooked leftovers and stale dry pasta — accumulates in households that cook with pasta regularly. The composting question splits two ways. Cooked pasta has higher moisture and may include sauce; uncooked pasta is essentially dry flour-based material. Different composting setups handle each differently. Here’s the practical guide.

Dairy products in compost — milk, yogurt, cheese, butter — are a category that comes up frequently. Standard advice is ‘avoid dairy in backyard compost’ but the actual answer is more nuanced. Some dairy works fine in some composting setups; some causes real problems. Here’s the practical guide for what works, what doesn’t, and what…

Meal prep typically involves substantial plastic packaging — produce bags, deli containers, snack bags, ziplocs for portioning. The ‘compost-ready’ alternative uses bulk-bin sourcing, glass storage, paper wrapping, and recipes that produce minimal non-compostable waste. Seven recipes that demonstrate the approach across breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

Carving a pumpkin produces three streams: the carved shell (decorative use, then compost), the seeds (delicious roasted snack), and the stringy orange insides (the part most people throw away). The stringy insides are actually composting gold. Here’s the practical workflow for processing pumpkin innards efficiently across snack, compost, and even soup pathways.

A pallet compost bin is the most cost-effective serious composting structure for home gardeners — three or four wood pallets nailed or wired together create a 4×4 foot bin for free or near-free if you can source pallets locally. Here’s the step-by-step build, where to source pallets, how to make the bin durable, and what…

Shellfish shells — clam, mussel, oyster, lobster, crab, shrimp — show up in households that cook seafood. The composting question is reasonable but has specific answers depending on shell type. Quick answer: yes for some, with preparation; not really for others. The calcium and chitin in shells produces useful soil amendment, but the timing and…