Issues to Manage Food and Beverage Waste and Recycling Operations in the Military (Research Paper Sample)

Name Tutors name Course Date Introduction Food wastes are food materials that are discarded. There are many things that cause food waste and it occurs at stages of production, processing and consumption. In developing countries the wastes mainly occur at production stage because of poor technology that is employed and in developed countries they normally occur at consumption stage (Leal and Kovaleva 141). Food waste so far is untapped energy source and they end up rotting in landfills hence releasing greenhouse gases. It is hard to treat or recycle because they contain high level of sodium, moist and they are mixed up with different wastes materials. The main producers of food waste materials are military bases, hotels and restaurants, and residential blocks. Last year in United States thirty percent of food produced with value of 162 billion dollars was not consumed. A research conducted by Cornell University food and brand lab found that ninety five percent of those interviewed say that they purchased the food and they never used it (Leal and Kovaleva 141). Across the world food wastage has is a problem everywhere. Many countries have put in place measures that will assist in reducing the waste. Though many countries have tried to reduce a lot of food still go to waste especially in developing countries and many people in those countries does not have enough food to eat. The initiative to reduce food and beverages waste in the military aim at facilitating recycling of materials used to pack food and food substances that go to waste at the same time donating food to those who cannot access enough (Leal and Kovaleva 142). When waste food substances and materials are reduced the dangers that comes with it such as environmental pollution and shortage of food across the globe will be reduced. Literature review It is estimated that every person produces around 470 pounds of food waste and that is approximately seventy million tons per year that makes it the second largest producer of wastes in the world. Military bases are located both on land and sea and their uniqueness pose a big challenge to waste disposal and recycling. The large amount of food substances from the bases need to be disposed in a sanity way to avoid harming the environment. If they are dumped on landfills, it means vast amount will be dumped and they end up producing gases such as methane and they attract vermin and pests that are harmful to human (Leal and Kovaleva 142). In military bases that are located in the sea the problem is how to handle the waste until reaching the port. Due to large waste produced from the bases, the easiest way of disposing it is through donations and recycling. The large amount of food wastage is associated with many things such as lack of enough attention paid to the productions from the farms. There should be strategic partnership between the farmers and military to ensure that farmers have enough capacity to produce quality food materials (Leal and Kovaleva 142). Before purchasing food substances military have introduced requirements such as uniformity standard which has increased food waste in the bases. Uniformity involves requirements like fruits and vegetables being of equal shape and size. Different varieties were not allowed and a lot was being going to waste, approximately 40 percent of the food was going to waste. Certain standards and restrictions in the military should be lessen this will assist in reducing food wastages. Other factors that generate food wastage include inefficient stoves and temperature sensors, maybe the equipment used for cooking are outdated or poorly maintained (Leal and Kovaleva 141). Inadequate processing lead to food that is unfit for human consumption or food with poor taste. This can be solved through proper training of personnel that carry out the work of cooking. Waste management system A sustainable waste management is required in the military, this will assist the military in promoting environmental stewardship, fostering sustainable development and developing good relationship with the local population. In developed countries military bases such as Fort Hood have an effective way of getting rid of vast waste materials such as food and beverages substances in a sanity way (MacFie and Thomson 3). In the military bases, waste management requires integrated framework based on management hierarchy that is made up of reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery. The most effective way of reducing food and beverage waste at these bases is through waste reduction. This is any practice that reduces the amount of food that will go into waste before entering the designated area. Example of this practice is purchasing quality food, serving food that will not remain after eating. Buying food products with long life span and reducing the cost of disposal materials (MacFie and Thomson 3). Furthermore employees should be trained in inventory control and quality food production. The programs that have been developed include computer software's that monitors food inventories. The program takes the menu of the items that have been sold and it enters it into the cash register and it converts into raw ingredients. The remaining food are weighed and recorded on a daily basis and the compared with estimated food based on what was sold. Some organizations such as Safeway have come up with methods of waste reduction in which waste reduction is reduced through informing the members of public about the dangers of food wastage through erecting billboards along the roads and using transit shelter posters, outside food chain stores and supermarkets and inside military bases pavements and on the gates (MacFie and Thomson 3). Businesses have come up with environmental shopping guide that encourages consumers to buy reusable products and items that last for long. This method requires Good Corporation between different military departments that include procurement, food service, and personnel. Reuse is a strategy of reducing waste by using the product again after the original purpose is accomplished. This strategy is applicable in food handling because some menu items can be served again for a different meal. This means that the same food can be used again to serve a different purpose in different form. Recycling is another important strategy in waste management. It is an act of manufacturing new products using wasted materials. Recycling can be done through recycling programs or composing. Recycling is a process that involves 6 steps that is collection of waste materials, materials that can be reused are separated from other wastes, management of wastes after separation, transportation and processing of wastes that cannot be reused, taking back the materials to commerce, and finally selling recycled materials (MacFie and Thomson 3). Recycling is an important strategy because it preserves finite resources by reducing mining of new finite products and processing, this will reduce environmental pollution and the total amount of energy used in the military bases (Research and Development Associates for Military Food and Packaging Systems 8). When food materials are recycled little amount of wastes will remain for dumping in landfills and this extends the capacity of landfills. Donations of cans to food recovery programs are another form of recycling food products that are used for dining purposes because action of collection takes place. Another method of recycling food products is composition. This is a process in which microorganisms decompose food wastes into rich mulch. The process of decomposition occurs in conditions of low temperature, oxidation of food substances than can be easily degraded such as proteins, simple sugars, and carbohydrates in animal tissues and plants cells. This is a common way of breaking down food substances that are left while preparing meals and after eating. There are different ways of waste composition this include unaerated static pile, aerated pile, and vermicomposition. These composition methods suits different situations (Research and Development Associates for Military Food and Packaging Systems 8). Example is that unaerated static pile is good for small operations in which organic discards are mixed with bulky wastes. Food wastes such as meat cannot be decomposed through this method. The materials that cannot be reused or recycled are put in a process called incineration; this is a process through which wasted materials are burned, and lastly is land filling. Incineration is a method in which waste materials are destroyed using heat. When materials get burned its volume and weight reduces to a fraction of its original size hence the materials will then need a small space for disposal. The disadvantage of this method is that it is expensive to set up a burning plant, it requires skilled personnel, and finally not all disposed food substances can be incinerated. Waste management policies Apart from waste management, polices need to be put in place to assist in food waste management. Army environmental policy institute is an institute that is assisting the military in coming up with proactive policies and strategies to look into environment matters that may have an impact on the military in future (Research and Development Associates for Military Food and Packaging Systems 8). This policy stresses the application of pollution prevention hierarchy in management of waste products and military matters regarding setting up ways of getting rid of wastes are discussed as well as providing the right training to officers in order to deal with the problem. There are four important elements attached to this policy that is knowledge and understanding, leadership, cost effectiveness, and preventing pollution. In knowledge and understanding, a database that will be used for solid waste management is discussed. When employees ar...