PrintDon't Throw Out That Pizza Just Yet
Replate aims to spread the word of how to put your extra food to better use by placing "unwanted leftovers, typically in a doggie bag, on top of the nearest trash can so that they don't go to waste." While I'm all for the idea of wasting less food and feeding those who are hungry, I don't think placing half-eaten food on top of trash cans—assuming the cans have tops and that someone will definitely take the food for himself—is a very effective way to do it. If the people behind Replate believe so much in their cause, it's surprising that they would go through the trouble of setting up a website and only give it two pages besides not present any facts about homelessness and hunger. While raising awareness is better than doing nothing at all, I just wonder how helpful repurposed half-eaten burritos are to the hungry.
How many people do this or something similar with their leftovers?
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11 Comments:
If you are in a big city, where the hungry and homeless are often in sight--why don't you just go up and offer your left-overs? I've done this many times, and while I imagine if I was desperately hungry I might snag a pizza box sitting on top of a trash can--maybe I wouldn't, maybe I would think it was just trash or pass it by, not knowing to look?
I wonder if Replate is making an effort to inform the homeless about this--I see a lot of effort made on the web in order to get more "replaters," but what about making sure the "replates" are eaten?
clumsycook at 5:19PM on 06/14/07
I've never left unattended food on top of a trashcan which might possibly add to more misdirected trash and fly bait. But I have taken doggie-bags from a restaurant with the intention of giving it to someone on the street who is happy to receive it. I understand the unfortunate liability that a restaurant might run into if food is left around town in their packaging, so perhaps identifying bags and such should be removed. There are many people on our streets who do indeed need this food and I wouldn't bark at any attempt to offer it.
Acme Instant Food at 5:28PM on 06/14/07
clumsycook: I think directly offering leftovers to people is a much better idea than just leaving it somewhere. Then you know someone's getting it! Sitting on a trashcan, I would assume it's...well, trash. And don't feel like there's much being done to ensure the food actually gets picked up; there's an assumption that people will just know to eat it. And maybe it's true; I have no idea.
Acme Instant Food: Yup, I agree that giving food directly to someone makes sense. If there are enough hungry people so that leaving the food on a trashcan means there is a likely chance of it getting picked up, then it should be just as easy to find a person to give the food to...mmwell.
roboppy at 6:01PM on 06/14/07
i've given leftovers to the homeless before when on the way home from dinner. but then cursed myself for not having plastic utensils to give them too. instead of feeling good about myself i ended up just feeling awkward but hoping they were still happy about it.
j at 6:06PM on 06/14/07
I don't have a public trash can within 30 miles... oh, I get it, this is another New York (center of the universe) story.)
Lou at 6:23PM on 06/14/07
j: :( I guess it's best with food that you can eat with your hands.
Lou: The creators of Replate are actually based in San Francisco. It's a "cities with public trashcans, homeless people and excess food" story...
roboppy at 6:41PM on 06/14/07
Well, I don't live in The Center Of The Universe, but when I saw people digging in our apartment building's dumpster, I realized that it would be really easy to put edible things I was pitching (no garbage disposal, and I was perpetually dieting) into a paper bag and write "EDIBLE" on it, and place it where it could be seen. They were always gone within 8 hours.
lemons at 1:21AM on 06/15/07
Some garbages (and you know which ones if you were even interest in this story and had something to say about it) are going to be 'dug' thru by homeless for food, so why replate helps them eat leftovers without the additional possibilities of bacteria from diggin thru the 'can'...which they are going to do anyway...I like Lemons idea the best, wrap it, label it edible and put it in the trash...because after they eat the 'replate' food, they are still going to dig in the trash for some leftover 'sips' of drink and/or recycleable materials for extra change, etc...you get the picture....the ones who dig in the trash are going to eat the food and still dig in the trash.
tyronebcookin at 9:33AM on 06/15/07
I like Lemons' idea too; haven't heard it before! I'm not against what replate is trying to accomplish; the website just seemed...thin? The half eaten burrito seemed kind of careless, although maybe they took that photo to clearly show what was in the bag...although they should add, "Wrap it up and write 'EDIBLE' on the outside."
roboppy at 12:32PM on 06/15/07
While the idea is a nice one, what does one do in the heart of suburbia? Eat the leftovers ourselves.
hereandthe at 2:18PM on 06/15/07
"While the idea is a nice one, what does one do in the heart of suburbia?"
Donate to City Harvest?
http://www.cityharvest.org/
"City Harvest, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is the world's first and New York City's only food rescue program.
Millions of pounds of good, edible food are thrown away each year by New York City food businesses. At the same time, more than one million people are hungry, including nearly 350,000 children and more than 140,000 senior citizens. City Harvest is the link between those who have so much and those who have too little."
kendrakicks at 3:54PM on 06/15/07