Mayor John Cooper to challenge local restaurants to reduce food waste during holiday season

Recycle — The mayor's office is calling on local eateries to reduce the amount of food wasted in the city. (Courtesy Fotolia)

The mayor's office is calling on local eateries to reduce the amount of food wasted in the city. (Courtesy Fotolia)

By Wendy Sturges | 9:59 AM Dec. 16, 2019 CST | Updated 9:59 AM Dec. 16, 2019 CST

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To help reduce the amount of food thrown away during the holiday season, Metro Nashville Mayor John Cooper is calling on local restaurants to take steps to cut down on food waste as part of the Mayor's Food-Saver Challenge.

Up to 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten, with 95% of that total ending up in landfills or incinerators, according to a release from the mayor's office.

Cooper is expected to announce this year's challenge during a Dec. 13 event at Las Palmas Restaurant, located at 5821 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

According to the mayor's office, the challenge, part of the Nashville Food Waste Initiative, will promote preventing food waste, donating surplus food and recycling leftover scraps. To participate in the challenge, hotels, restaurants and event venues can select at least five predetermined strategies to help reduce food waste.

Local restaurants can find more information about the challenge and register here.

By Wendy Sturges

A Houston native and graduate of St. Edward's University in Austin, Wendy Sturges has worked as a community journalist covering local government, health care, business and development since 2011. She has worked with Community Impact since 2015 as a reporter and editor and moved to Tennessee in 2019.