Background

Japan ranks second in the world by volume of single-use container waste per person. Increased demand for takeout and delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic only made things worse. The virus also caused a step-change in public awareness of personal hygiene, creating a strong psychological barrier to the reuse of containers, a practice which had been expanding gradually. The business models of restaurant operators also hindered container reuse, as it entails an additional washing process. Thus, food-related waste is becoming a serious problem along with the large amount of waste from the catering industry including residues from food manufacturing and cooking, as well as leftovers from restaurants.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

To avoid affecting people’s lifestyles and the practices of restaurant operators, we attempted to reduce containers and other meal-related wastes through a system for using, collecting and upcycling recyclable containers. We focused on the rich nutrients contained in food waste discarded in the production process, such as wheat husks, coffee dregs, orange peel and tea leaves. Those waste materials were molded into containers using proprietary technology, to be supplied to restaurants and caterers. Used containers are collected in a dedicated box, and then mixed with leftovers to be regenerated into nutritious compost or feed. The recycled products are supplied to parks and farms nearby to produce food for the consumer market. Thus, through a double upcycling process, our system transforms waste that would have been discarded into something of different value.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We designed the whole process ranging from an enabling mechanism for restaurant operators to points of contact with end users including webpages and POPs at restaurants. We also designed a bowl that can be easily crushed after use as an embodiment of upcycling, and an original collection box with a table for crushing the bowl, thus providing users with firsthand experience of upcycling the waste containers along with leftovers. Edish was tailored to suit the eating experience by retaining the texture and warmth of food waste, as well as the mild natural aroma left in the raw material. In addition, we produced a visual highlighting the whole lifecycle of edish, to be displayed at all points of contact.

List the results (20% of vote)

Edish represents a highly flexible recycling system that allows upcycling mechanisms to be tailored to the conditions of the restaurant or caterer through different combinations of raw materials, container forms and collection methods. Introduced in various locations including park cafés in Tokyo, government staff canteens, drinking and eating spaces close to nature such as beaches and camp sites, stadiums and other sports facilities, and hotel buffets which generate lots of leftovers, our system has been producing compost to be supplied to flowerbeds in parks, farmers in local communities, and local schools for environmental education, among others. We thus helped reduce waste by about 8.4tons in about a year, while upcycling about 1.3tons of food waste.