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Bucknell University

Publication Date

Fall 2017

Program Name

Australia: Sustainability and Environmental Action

Abstract

Food waste holds incredible environmental degradation implications due to its ability to produce and emit potent greenhouse gases, as well as allow for the resources initially used to produce it to go to waste. When in a gloabal crisis of environmental degradation as well as food security, it is a shame to see food be wasted when other more optimal outlets are available.

This study utilizes the Triple Bottom Line to assess the ideal systems with which the three branches of Santos Organics should manage their food waste to optimize its lifecycle in order to further promote the business’ status of sustainability within their Byron Bay, Byron Arts and Industries District, and Mullumbimby locations. The analysis of data through the lens of Structured Decision Making Models, Triple Bottom Line oriented cost-benefit analyses, and Food Waste Hierarchies allowed for the conclusions to be reached for optimized systems of food waste management for each branch.

The incorporation of the Bin Trim food waste reduction education program offered by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority is highly suggested to the business as it teaches the branches to manage their food with strategies in mind to avoid the fundamental unnecessary wasting of it. In addition to this, food waste recycling systems have been specially tailored to each branch to assure all three sectors of the Triple Bottom Line are satisfied across the branches’ unique conditions and environments. Systems of anerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, dehydration, large scale compost facilities, vermicomposting, and animal feed biotechnology are analyzed and assessed to fulfill this function.

The Byron Bay branch can benefit from the incorporation of biotechnology for animal feeds, specifically the utilization of Black Soldier Flies, within their current offsite composting with Evan Anderson at “The Farm” in Byron Bay. Mullumbimby will be able to utilize an anerobic system to fully harness food waste’s the energy potential as well as degradation into liquid fertilizer to benefit themselves and the community across the Triple Bottom Line. The Warehouse branch

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Environmental Studies | Food Security | Place and Environment | Work, Economy and Organizations

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