Dumpster-Diver-Diva Fruit Leather
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| A Milk Crate of Cinnamon Applesauce Cups (yes, folks I've lifted another crate) |
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Five Sauces Per Sheet     |
Monday, January 23, 2012
Taking Care of Food Waste One Step At A Time
We have too much food waste at the Elementary School...garbage cans full of uneaten foods. It makes me sick. I was told that once the food is *purchased* and in the cafeteria it cannot be re-used. Now I'm pretty sure that's bull****. Someone has misunderstood what they have read and it's been passed on year-after-year (lots of that going on around here). So I did some checking and there are plenty of programs for re-using school waste...homeless shelters, food banks, Senior meal programs...but, until I take the time to prepare a written proposal with all of my back-up documentation nothing is going to happen. Another summer project for me. In the meantime...I dumpster dive. Yep, the Lunch Lady is also the Queen of the School Cafeteria Dumpster.
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11 comments:
How wonderfully fabulous. Nice to hear that someone else dumpster dives. LOL. My daughter works for a health food store and one of their coolers quit working and they dumped it into the dumpster. (Legally can't give it to anyone! HA) So that evening my daughter and I dived into the dumpster and got yogurts, cheese, puddings, etc. Enough cheese that lasted for about 4-5 months. Ate all I wanted. I dislike such waste.
I am telling you we should all dumpster dive more often.... Makes me sick! Good job!
Brilliant! I love it. Good job Lynda!
You go girl!! Glad you're going to take on the waste and do the work to be able to give it to someone that will be able to use it.
On a side note, do you have the "rule" that the food served to the kids CAN'T go home??? Back to the classroom is ok, but we don't tell the lunch lady that any of our food goes home with kids. That's a for-sure no-no. Big time. Totally ridiculous!!
I hate to see the waste in the schools. Stupid rules. And someone in charge needs to retire. Or start loving kids. (Ok, stepping off my soapbox now.)
~~Lori
Those seasoned lunch ladies much find you absolutely nutty. Good Job! It's refreshing to hear about you looking into taking the unused food to be eventually donated. I think a lot of times what becomes customary is taken as being 'legal' whether or not there even was statutes saying anything at all. Similar in ways of many places not having ordinances one way or the other about gardening in your front yard for all neighbors to 'enjoy'. ;)
Good to see someone doing something abt all the waste,with the cost of food today,I know it can be put to good use somewhere,I wished we had a dumpster to dive,lol. Blessings Jane
My boyfriend, Tad, works at a hotel and the food is catered in for certain events. You would think that the leftover food would be given to the guests to take home, or at the very least, given to a homeless shelter or another organization.
Nope. Apparently it is against health code violations for any leftover food to be taken off the premises, and if it is, the hotel can be held liable for any food poisoning/damage that results.
Employees are not 'supposed' to take food home, but it is a lax rule. Tad is constantly bringing home entire veggie, fruit, and deli meat trays that have not even been opened!
Good for you for trying to do your part in using up even a bit of all the wasted food.
These rules are ridiculous.
And...I'm with Jane. No dumpsters around here to go diving into!
BTW, we're coming to South CA! We can't wait to get into the heat and sunshine.
Interested in getting together for a visit?
Sounds like someone was too lazy to do anything else but have the stuff hauled out to the dumpster! Shameful policy. But good for you! Love, love, love the apple leather idea! Thanks for that (I really much get those sheets for my dehydrator.)
With so much food waste, you wonder why the gov't run schools think the kids are starving and have to pay for all that unneeded food.
Awesome post and comments! I am glad you are addressing food waste and dumpster diving. Good stuff!
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