Restaurant 2 Garden
We close the loop by transforming local restaurant food waste into nutritious fertilizer to grow culturally-appropriate food.
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Project Description
Restaurant 2 Garden is the first step to decentralizing food waste management and propelling hyperlocal community composting that brings waste management actions closer to home which would otherwise be “out of sight, out of mind”.
Our project is the solution to safe, reliable, and clean composting of local restaurant food waste in the Chinatown International District’s historic Nihonmachi. By taking food scraps from two local businesses – Itsumono and Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House – and composting using safe and pest-free technologies in the Danny Woo Community Garden, this pilot project intends to support local businesses, “close the loop”, and provide high quality fertilizer for the gardeners of the Danny Woo Community Garden.
In the coming year, we wish to scale up by expanding our project site, and increase restaurants and gardeners served.
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Step 1: The process starts with restaurant food waste. Currently, we collect food waste from two restaurants.
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Step 2: Food waste, mixed with wood chips decomposes in the hot composter (black box), average temperature is around 130F in the box.
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Step 2: We also do worm composting (vermicompost).
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Step 3: Cured compost gets sifted then distributed to AAPI elder gardeners.
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Step 4: AAPI elder gardener applying free and safe compost to grow culturally-appropriate food.
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Step 5: By the end of the summer growing season 2022. Can you spot the green pumpkin?
Project News
New Economy Washington (NEW) Frontline Community Fellows
With the New Economy Washington (NEW) Frontline Community Fellowship, Restaurant 2 Garden was able to the project off the ground!
Learn MoreNourishing a community garden with restaurant compost
Article featuring Joycelyn Chui, Restaurant 2 Garden's co-founder, who wants to transform food waste from local restaurants into compost for community gardeners in Seattle’s International District
Read Article