ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — Food waste is a growing problem for Oregon landfills, and the Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Astoria is helping to reduce it.
The center recently installed a food pulper to grind up the mountain of organic waste created each day by nearly 600 people who use the cafeteria and generate plenty of trash.
The machine, nicknamed “Matilda,” grinds up food, plastic utensils, napkins and paper plates, creating three or four bags of garbage per day, instead of 18 to 20.
The Daily Astorian reports that a state study shows food waste accounts for 15 percent of all garbage in Oregon.
