Fukuoka hotel begins first steps, composting for circular living

In Fukuoka prefecture, Great Morning Hakata hotel and nonprofit organization ‘Junkan-seikatsu Kenkyujo‘ (also known as Namaken, who also brought us LFC Compost) has begun a new effort to tackle food waste. Bio-waste generated by the hotel is brought to compost containers installed at the hotel’s rooftop. They are then decomposed into high quality organic fertilizers that will be used to grow mint or other herbs to make welcome drinks or to prepare breakfast served at the hotel restaurant. This circulation of food is an ideal way of eliminating food waste in a sustainable manner.

There is awareness of how food additives and the use of chemical fertilizers have negative impact on both human health and the environment. Therefore there is a growing tendency of choosing organic produce, and is a no longer just a fad.

However, for the food service industry, providing fresh produce or food without additives at its best condition is often troublesome. Without additives, food are often perishable and therefore likely to go bad in shorter period of time. Thus it often results in the increase of food waste generation. Using food waste to grow organic produce is eco-friendly with low cost, hence a sustainable action profiting consumer and the environment.

The fight to tackle food waste in Japan

Food waste generation is a global issue and Japan is no exception; leftovers constituting food waste is as high as 6 million tons per year in Japan. Research shows food waste consists about 38% of the total municipal solid waste, and 31% of commercial waste. Reducing these numbers have indispensable efficacy on solving the problem of food waste in Japan. Additionally, as the world moves toward a circular economy, where production, consumption and waste generation are modified to realize a sustainable society, food consumption also needs to step towards a circular model. Composting is a manageable and painless practice to implement.

In the city of Nagoya, there is a similar initiative to eliminate food waste and to accomplish circular living. ‘Okaeri-yasai’ (meaning ‘Welcome back Veggies’) is a food recycling project that was launched in 2008. Food waste generated from participating schools, supermarkets, restaurants and households are delivered to Bio Plaza Nagoya, where they are decomposed and used to grow pesticide reduced vegetables. The vegetables are then sold or served at school lunches, stores and restaurants within the city, creating a circular model of production and consumption.

The new project launched by Great Morning Hakata and Namaken is a smaller scale of Okaeri-yasai project, although the significance is just as valuable. It intrigues small businesses and households to practice circular living by themselves.

Namaken also produces portable kits LFC Compost for home use; a container, base material, thermometer and an instruction guide are the contents of a starter’s package. The package helps individuals to start composting with ease and it’s available to purchase online. The benefits of composting are worth investing for; it’s a great solution to reduce the volume of bio-waste, and since a lot of local governments in Japan charge fees for waste disposal, reducing bio-waste lessen these fees. Staying at a hotel with ecologically sustainable principle may become a chance to start circular living at your home.