1. Introduction

The increasing generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is influenced by several factors such as population growth, urbanization, and lifestyle changes [1, 2].

The food service sector has contributed to the increase in solid waste (SW) generation, which corresponds to roughly 20% of all waste generated, as compared to households that account for approximately 50%. The final destination of this SW is therefore of great concern to municipalities and states [3].

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, in Brazil, 31% of household food expenses are spent on meals eaten outside of the home [4], which boosts this economic sector as it generates direct and indirect jobs (210,000) and involves large sums of money (51 billion reals/year) related to the commercialization of foods and meals, as well as the consumption of significant quantities of fresh and processed foods [5]. However, the food sector contributes substantially to the production of solid waste, especially those that are organic-based.

The generation of organic solid waste (OSW) in the food service sector is closely related to food wastage. Although food losses and wastage are present throughout the food chain (production, harvesting, transportation, marketing, and consumption), large-scale meal production is a major factor contributing to food waste in the process flow due to menu planning that does not prioritize food from the crop, a lack of control of receipt and storage of food, and improper prepreparation practices and preparation, as well as other sources.

It is known that the solutions to the problems associated with solid waste generation in any human activity involve not only reduction at the source, but also the reuse or recycling of the discarded materials and the final environmental disposal of the tailings. For this, the efficient management of SW is necessary to contribute to more sustainable livelihoods [6].

The objective of this chapter is to problematize the generation of solid waste during the production of meals for collectivities and present a management plan that will contribute to the minimization of food waste and the environmental impacts caused by the final disposal of OSW.

## 2. Organic solid waste generated during the production of meals

In recent years, the Research and Extension Group on Sustainability in Meal Production (LASUPRE, Brazilian acronym) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has studied the issue of food waste, the generation of OSW, and management strategies that can be employed during the production of large-scale meals in the food service sector [7–11]. Organic solid waste has been gaining prominence in research since it participates with more than 50% of the waste generated in all human activities in developing countries, and it is necessary to apply technology that reduces the losses and waste of food produced and consumed, as well as the final disposal of solid waste generated, which is environmentally sound.

Other important issues related to food loss and waste include resource use, solid waste generation, and energy-related emissions for transportation, storage, processing, and consumption, as well as wasted food calories, causing significant economic, social, and environmental impacts [3].

Albisu [12] emphasizes the need to differentiate the terms "food loss" and "food waste," since the former refers to the quantity of edible food that is not consumed after its harvest and the second is related to consumption itself. The seriousness of this issue is notorious, since 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year, while 800 million people are still starving [13].

According to Canali et al. [14], approximately a quarter of the total food calories produced globally are wasted, causing environmental impact related to the emission of greenhouse gases including approximately 3.3 GT of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent.

The strategies for mitigating the problems of food loss and food waste are very important, yet different. While the first involves the supply chain from the production, harvesting, transportation, and distribution of food, the second involves the acquisition for individual or collective consumption. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [15] proposes various measures including (a) increasing the awareness of producers and consumers through information and communication campaigns, especially on agricultural and veterinary practices in the primary stages of production, as well as good manufacturing and hygiene practices in the preparation of food in the acquisition and consumption phases; (b) investing in small-scale agriculture, with training in processes and strategies for the

### Management of Organic Solid Waste in Meal Production DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83535

conservation of harvested products, in addition to strengthening family farming through policies and programs on quality and safety; (c) improving transportation, energy, and marketing infrastructure, as well as developing technologies that contribute to the reduction of food losses and waste; (d) including education at all levels on the theme "Food and Nutrition Security (FNS)" and ways to avoid food losses and waste; and (e) encouraging South-South cooperation in all of the above measures.

Several countries have attempted to determine appropriate solutions for the final destination of organic solid waste such as incineration, anaerobic treatment with biogas, or energy generation and aerobic treatment with organic fertilizer production, in order to minimize the social, economic, and environmental impacts caused by the high generation of solid waste [16].

The Brazilian Solid Waste Policy (BSWP) emphasizes the difference between solid waste and tailings and recommends a hierarchy of solutions for solid waste management, starting with reduction at the generating source, treatment or recycling, and only then, the final disposal of tailings in an environmentally appropriate manner [17].

For the various stages of producing large-scale meals in the food service sector, sanitation controls have been established by legislation to prevent potential damage to food and distributed meals, thereby minimizing the risk of foodborne diseases [18–20]. However, certain documents already highlight the importance of assessing the environmental performance of organizations, taking into account the impacts of their activities [21] such as the high levels of water consumption and the generation of gases that contribute to the destruction of the ozone [22]. The inclusion of this theme in the production of meals is necessary since throughout the meal production process, resources (water, energy, food, and other materials), solid food, and nonfood solid waste are generated [10].

Figure 1 shows the production process flow of meals with their controls (process and hygienic sanitary) and the main types of solid waste that are generated. Colares and Figueiredo [8] evaluated the solid waste originating from a food service that produced and distributed 1500 meals a day. They found that 88% of the solid residues generated were organic waste, produced mainly in the prepreparation stage (34%), and during distribution of the meals (66%), which was represented by leftovers (meals produced and not distributed) and food scraps (distributed and nonconsumed meals). Similar to these results, when quantifying the solid waste generated in a university restaurant in the city of Maringá, Brazil, Zotesso et al. [23] found that over 21 d, 40,650 meals were served and 6.5 t of solid waste was produced (161 g of waste for each meal served). They observed high quantities of solid waste during the prepreparation stage (43%) from peeling and cutting, and food waste (47%). These results demonstrate the need for food service management to be more focused on minimizing food waste and the environmental impacts caused by poor solid waste management and disposal.

This work presents a study carried out on three community restaurants located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where a solid waste generation diagnosis was performed. A management plan that prioritizes the environmental performance evaluation during the production of meals in order to minimize food waste and associated environmental impacts is also proposed.

The Community Restaurants Program is a Food and Nutrition Security policy instrument that is implemented through a formal agreement between the Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS, Brazilian acronym) and the respective State. They promote the Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF), especially for workers who purchase meals in the urban centers of the country. The municipalities are responsible for the administration and maintenance of the equipment [24].

#### Figure 1.

Flowchart of the food production process with hygienic sanitary process controls and solid waste generation.

Currently, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there are three community restaurants in operation producing and serving approximately 6000 meals a day, including breakfast and lunch.

To implement these, restaurants, municipalities and states must meet the eligibility criteria specified in the call notice, which can be translated into geographical aspects. They must also have FSN or social assistance-related programs or instruments in place that will act in an integrated manner. The target audience is primarily low-income formal and informal workers, the unemployed, students, the elderly, and populations at social risk in urban centers and their peripheries. These restaurants should be deployed in high-volume areas of low-income workers such as the central areas of cities that are preferably close to mass transit [24].
