Fig 1.
Waste generation for case hospital kitchen on the day of the audit, with estimated compositions by kitchen zone.
Estimated composition determined by extrapolation from detailed audits of 20% of waste bag sample. “Unused items” refers to unused food found in original unopened packaging. “Other wastes” refers to garbage that does not fit into other categories (e.g., disposable flatware).
Fig 2.
Estimated composition of waste generation of case study hospital on day of audit over time.
Fig 3.
Estimated daily waste generation and diversion scenarios for case hospital kitchen, based on one-day audit.
Current (Base Case) = kitchen diverts cardboard and some metal recycling only; Ideal = recycling and composting of all possible materials; Likely Future = recycling and composting of likely materials based on feedback from kitchen staff.
Fig 4.
Estimated annual carbon emissions from waste diversion scenarios in the case hospital kitchen.
Current (Base Case) = kitchen diverts cardboard and some metal recycling only; Ideal = recycling and composting of all possible materials; Likely Future = recycling and composting of likely materials based on feedback from kitchen staff. Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) from composting are assumed to be carbon negative. No carbon credit is issued for recycling, so it is not included in this figure.