Addressing America’s

Food Waste
 “[farmers] need to
conserve the beauty of
‘’ the priceless heritage of
our countryside.”
- Margaret Thatcher
Connection to Topic

❖ Farmers’ roles

❖ Food waste
What do the negative impacts
of food waste on the American
population suggest about a
need for repurposing excess
food waste within the
United States?
Context

❖ 400 lb. of waste

❖ Air pollution

❖ United States
My solution to resolve the negative
impacts of food waste on the
American population is mandatory,
national composting, because it
improves the health of the
population and has already been
proven to be effective in San
Francisco.
Background Information

❖ First occurs in 1950s

❖ Vocabulary

➢ Composting

➢ Volatile Organic Compounds

Subclaim 1: Improving
Health
 “...there is increasingly
strong evidence that air
pollution is associated
‘’ with nontrivial increases
in the risk of death and
chronic disease in
children…”
- Joel Schwartz
Subclaim 1

❖ Date published

❖ Vulnerable populations
 “The CO2 emissions
avoided...were
‘’ tantamount to
removing all traffic that
traverses the Bay
Bridge for 777 days.”
- Dan Sullivan
Subclaim 1

❖ Removed air pollution

❖ Improved health

❖ Nationwide decrease
 “Researchers spread 5
tons of compost per
‘’ acre, and later found no
brown rot on the
harvested peaches.”
- Cheryl Long
Subclaim 1

❖ Less toxic residue

❖ Reduces fertilizer-use

❖ Healthy consumption
Compost can harm the
environment.
 “When piles [of compost]
are not properly aerated,
‘’ colonies of anaerobic
bacteria flourish and
produce methane gas.”
- United Nations
Environmental Program
Counter Acknowledgement

❖ Situational

❖ Home composting education

Subclaim 2: San
Francisco’s Success
 “...[San Francisco]
diverts about 80

‘’ percent of its waste

from landfills, or more
than 1.5 million tons
every year.”
- Katie Brigham
Subclaim 2

❖ Reduced waste

❖ Estimated national effect

 “Recology employs
approximately 1,050

‘’ workers in San
Francisco alone...”
- Yerina Mugica and
Andrea Spacht
Subclaim 2

❖ Created employment

❖ Current statistic

❖ National potential
Composting plants can
harm populations.
 “...the workers at these
facilities undergo an
‘’ inevitable exhibition to
[volatile organic
compounds].”
- José L. Domingo and
Martí Nadal
 “...a 4-to-6-inch layer of
finished compost
‘’ covering the newly
formed [unfinished
compost pile], acts as a
biofilter to destroy
emissions.”
- CalRecycle
Counter Acknowledgement

❖ Possible solution

❖ Mask VOCs, protect workers

Conclusion

❖ Improves health, San Francisco is successful

❖ Reduces waste and more

❖ Resolved counters
Works Cited

“Air Emissions Reduction from Composting and Related Facilities.” State of California, n.d,

www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/air. Accessed 11 Apr 2019.

Brigham, Katie. “How San Francisco Sends Less Trash to the Landfill than Any Other Major

U.S. City.” CNBC, CNBC, 14 July 2018,

www.cnbc.com/2018/07/13/how-san-francisco-became-a-global-leader-in-waste-mana

gement.html. Accessed Apr 11 2019.

Works Cited

Domingo, José L., and Martí Nadal. "Domestic waste composting facilities: a review of

human health risks." Environment International, vol. 2, no. 35, 2009.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.004. Accessed 13 Mar 2019.

Harrison, Ellen Z. "Compost Facilities: Off-Site Air Emissions and Health." 2007. Accessed

15 Mar 2019.
Works Cited

LeBlanc, Rick. “Why the U.S. Wastes More Food Than Almost Any Other Country.” The

Balance Small Business, n.p, n.d,

www.thebalancesmb.com/food-waste-greater-in-us-than-almost-all-countries-4164313.

Accessed 14 Aug 2019.

Long, Cheryl. “Compost Beats Disease Big Time!” Organic Gardening, vol. 43, no. 2, Feb.

1996, p. 12. EBSCOhost. Accessed 19 Mar 2019.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compost.

Accessed 20 Mar 2019.

Works Cited

Mugica, Yerica and Andrea Spacht.. “Food to the Rescue: San Francisco Composting.”

Natural Resources Defense Council, n.p., 24 Oct. 2017,

www.nrdc.org/resources/san-francisco-composting. Accessed 21 Mar 2019.

Schwartz, Joel. “Air Pollution and Children's Health.” Pediatrics: Official Journal of the

American Academy of Pediatrics, vol. 113, pp. 1037-43, 2004.

doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.S1.1037. Accessed 20 Mar 2019.

Works Cited

Sobol, Zachary. “How Food Waste is Harming our Environment.” Move For Hunger, n.p.,

26 July 2018, www.moveforhunger.org/how-food-waste-is-harming-our-environment/.

Accessed 27 Mar 2019.

“Solid Waste Management Sourcebook.” Environmental Impacts of Composting,

www.unep.or.jp/ietc/ESTdir/Pub/MSW/SP/SP4/SP4_3.asp. Accessed 11 Apr 2019.

Sullivan, Dan. “Zero Waste on San Francisco’s Horizon.” BioCycle, n.p., July 2011,

www.biocycle.net/2011/07/18/zero-waste-on-san-franciscos-horizon/. Accessed 20 Mar

2019.
Works Cited

“Technical Overview of Volatile Organic Compounds.” EPA, Environmental Protection

Agency, 12 Apr. 2017,

www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/technical-overview-volatile-organic-compounds.

Accessed 14 Aug 2019.

Thatcher, Margaret. “Speech to United Nations General Assembly.” 48th Plenary Meeting, 8

Nov. 1989, United Nations Building, NY. Speech. Accessed 16 Feb 2019.