Pilot 2: Maine State Prison and Bolduc Correctional Facility

After finishing our pilot with the reentry facility in Windham, we patterned with the DOC again to track food waste at the Maine State Prison and Bolduc Correctional Facility. Instead of one facility with 50 residents, we jumped to two tracking and measuring food waste for two facilities with a total of around 830 residents.

Project Goals

1. To determine what foods were creating the most kitchen and plate waste in their facility.
2. To reduce the money they were spending both on purchasing food and disposing of food that is not eaten, by developing a better knowledge of their waste.
3. To develop strategies in the kitchen and with the residents in order to reduce food waste.
4. To expand our work in the Windham Women’s Reentry Center and improve our tracker’s usability for larger facilities.

Methodology 

1. Conducted an on-site visit at the facility to see and understand how their operation works.
2. Understand what their personal goals are. The Department of Corrections was focused on pre-consumer waste because during Covid, residents were taking their food back to their cells to eat.
3. Create a customized worksheet for their kitchen. Because of the difference in size of these two locations, the Maine State Prison decided to track their data through an online spreadsheet, while the Bolduc Correctional Facility opted for a more traditional “pen-and-paper” method.
4. The facility then took Dailey measurements and sent the data sheet to our student intern at the end of the week. Our student intern then inputted the data into an excel spreadsheet. This helped with data accuracy, labor shortages at the facility, and with adjusting data inconsistencies.
5. After 6 weeks, we met with the facility again to show them their report. 

Maine State Prison Kitchen Waste was measured from 1/23/2022 to 4/1/2022, while Plate Waste was measured from 3/20/2022 to 3/29/2022.

Bolduc Correctional Facility Kitchen and Plate Waste was measured from 1/23/2022 to 3/23/2022

Results 

Using our tracking system, we identified potential annual food waste reduction of 20% along with cost savings of nearly $200,000 through lower food purchasing and disposal costs. We have adapted the tracking system for hospitals, schools, and restaurants interested in reducing food waste. Several culinary directors within the DOC have also made their own food menu that incorporates an option to reuse leftovers, which will reduce their waste even further.