DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – St. Norbert College feeds 1,000 students for each of its meal services every day.
“At the end of a meal we were throwing away loads of food to play it safe,” said Melissa DaPra, food director at St. Norbert.
The school knew something had to change. That’s why more than six years ago, it set a zero-waste goal, and it’s almost there. Waste is down from 13 cans of garbage per meal service to less than one.
DaPra tells FOX 11 whether it’s scraps left on plates or extra food prepped in the kitchen, it all goes somewhere and none of it is wasted.
“The idea behind food waste recovery is not create the waste in the first place. But inevitably we always end up overproducing with our variety and our scratch cooking at the college. So when that does happen we know that the next best thing is to feed hungry people.”
It’s not always that simple, though. Some U.S. cities have passed bans on food sharing. Ted Shove, with Brown County Public Health, tells FOX 11 it’s a gray area here.
“Basically, the guidance that the state gets and then trickles down to the county, basically comes from FDA food code.”
He says the health department doesn’t regulate food that’s shared for free.
“The shelter itself is receiving the food so it is upon them to make sure it’s in good condition.”
DaPra says St. Norbert food donations follow the same rules as any other food made in the kitchen.
“We donate to Paul’s Pantry and Freedom House. We label and date and mark everything to make sure it’s safely prepared.”
Even if students bite off more than they can chew, the food doesn’t get wasted.
“At the end of the day, anything that’s produced still has good chemical organic bonds that goes to the digester and becomes compost for future plants,” said DaPra.
As of now, that waste is taken to Oshkosh and turned into compost, and eventually energy. In just a few months St. Norbert will have its own composter on campus to help fertilize campus gardens.
