Recorded at an astonishing 133 billion pounds in 2010 alone, the U.S.A. has a growing problem with wasting food — an issue that many countries around the world are beginning to target. This issue starts in the home and moves onward into the public realm, taking shape in supermarkets, dining halls and restaurants that throw out food because it “isn’t pretty” or too much food was prepared. It seems a shame to waste so much food when so many people in the world go to bed hungry. To combat the issue of hunger and homelessness, France has recently passed legislation banning food waste from supermarkets. Instead, they require supermarkets donate unsold food (that would have otherwise been waste) to food banks and charities. Dining halls at Syracuse University are no exception to the food waste epidemic that’s taking the world by storm.

The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has a homelessness and hunger division right here at the Syracuse/ESF chapter that works to combat this issue in our own community. Every night, the dining halls on campus dispose of pounds of perfectly good foods because they don’t have room to store it or no longer have a use for it now that the day is done. Personally, I have watched employees dispose of dozens of leftover bagels at the end of the day.

There are two things you can do to help combat hunger and homelessness in the Syracuse community, starting with a simple change. First, take less food when you dine. This may seem like a no-brainer but many people toss much of what is on their plates — you can always go back for more, but you can’t put it back. Second, join the Food Recovery Network Program on campus in collecting food waste from Graham dining hall on Sunday evenings to deliver food to a local food shelter, along with NYPIRG on Monday nights.

Charlotte Oestrich, Syracuse University ‘18