Among the hundreds of people at this year’s Taste of Bloomington event along Kirkwood Avenue were 53 volunteers who were collecting food waste as well as bottles, cans and glass to be recycled.
The efforts, spearheaded by GardenQuest volunteers, collected 360 pounds of food waste that filled 14 5-gallon buckets; 3,800 bottles, cans and glass to be recycled (that’s 197 pounds); and reclaimed more than 300 pounds of leftover food donated from vendors that were distributed to Community Kitchen and Shalom Center, according to Ellee Spier, one of the GardenQuest organizers.
Three of the volunteers had recycling backpacks on, so they could collect cans and bottles from people and trash receptacles. It also offered a different way for the volunteers to start conversations with people, educating them about the importance of keeping recyclable and food waste out of landfills.
Other volunteers talked to people sitting in dining areas, encouraging them to deposit any leftovers at the waste stations instead of the garbage cans.
Spier said the amount of waste collected may be under reported because the waste had to be weighed quickly, especially with a large amount of food processed. Spier stressed the goal was less about food collection and more about education of how to better recycle items.
The food waste was not composted but was pickled. A special soil microbe was sprinkled over the food waste that started the fermentation process, known as bokashi. “If we were just collecting food waste, the next day it would smell,” she said. Pickling makes it “so it doesn’t get gross.” With bokashi, the food waste is converted into soil within about four months.
The fermentation process allowed GardenQuest to accept corn cobs and bones. The process is safe and can be done in urban areas. The volunteers at the waste stations showed people bringing good waste how to sprinkle the microbe over the food. Showing people that process and sharing how it becomes soil was important, Spier said.
This fall schools in the Monroe County School Corp. will start pilot programs to test if they can take food waste from their schools and ferment it. Another way people can learn about the process is through monthly sessions with GardenQuest.
Reclaimed food feeds others
Ben Dahncke, operations manager at Community Kitchen of Monroe County, said the food Community Kitchen received from Taste helped feed its patrons at its main location, its food truck and provided some snacks for the Backpack Buddies program that runs during the school year.
During Taste, more than 300 pounds of leftover food was donated from food vendors, including pizza, cheesecake, pulled pork, tossed salads and corn on the cob. The Taste committee also donated cases of snacks — granola bars, meat sticks and chips — that was used for the Backpack Buddies program. The committee also donated cases of bottled water, napkins, plates, utensils, serving ware, paper towels and condiments that were distributed to Shalom Center and Community Kitchen.
Many help with waste collection
The volunteers at Taste included National Honor Society students from Bloomington High School South, football students from Bloomington North as well as members of the Unitarian Universalist Hunger Task Force, committee members of Taste of Bloomington and GardenQuest in partnership with Coca Cola Consolidated and Osprey Initiative.
Wes Ault is a Taste committee member who first met GardenQuest’s Spier and Matthew Austin a couple of months before this year’s Taste event. Ault said there were about 15 parents and students from Bloomington North who helped from 3 to almost 11 p.m. on Aug. 1.
“Their focus was hauling or wheeling the waste bins from the city streets and sidewalks to large dumpsters for disposal. They also used litter sticks to fish out recyclables from the waste bins to move to the recycling bins situated next to the waste bins,” Ault said, adding the energy and strong work ethic of the group was “outstanding … their efforts made a real, impactful difference through the day, and we’re pleased that the event is also able to provide a contribution toward their season fees.” He said several Taste attendees commended the volunteers. “That kind of positive visibility reflects well on both the students, their school and their football program. Their presence sent a simple but powerful message: when volunteers step up, everyone benefits.”
Ault said he hopes to “see continued buy-in from community partners, organizations and school-focused groups in future years. They are an important part of the event’s success.
“I believe the experience helped show that waste management is about much more than throwing things away — it’s about stewardship, sustainability and making thoughtful choices,” he said.
Next workshop and more information
GardenQuest will have a workshop at WonderLab from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13. It’s free for Monroe County residents. To sign up, go to www.gardenquest.org or go directly to the workshop page at https://tinyurl.com/2szyvysy.
Anyone interested in learning more about GardenQuest can send an email to gardenquest.org@gmail.com or call 812-955-0249.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Here’s what happened to Taste of Bloomington food waste, leftovers
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
