Leftovers for All
San Francisco
When you throw leftovers in the fridge, they end up in the trash far more often than in your stomach—a dilemma that some conscientious restaurant-goers solve by leaving their doggie bags on top of city garbage cans, where the homeless can find an easy free meal. Josh Kamler and Axel Albin, owners of a San Francisco design studio, would like to take this practice mainstream. They’ve come up with a catchy name (“replating”), a website, and a logo not unlike the now-ubiquitous recycling icon. Kamler says, “If you throw your beer bottle in the garbage, people are like, ‘Dude, you’re not going to recycle that?’ We hope the idea of replating will get to such a place in the culture that people will say, ‘Hey, you’re not going to replate that?’”
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Would health officials mind?
Is it science or stigma living inside the heads of parents who admonish the youngster caught sneaking a bite of food without considering the source? Taking food from the trash (or even from the top of a trash-can) may disrupt societal norms but I believe hunger eventually takes precedence.
If one eats away from home, albeit with special care to avoid contamination after the kitchen, isn’t spoilage the only ? If so, what else keeps us from ‘replating’ meals? By encouraging individuals and businesses to expand on the idea (perhaps reprogramming some social norms along the way) we can avoid a silly and costly form of waste.
Posted on October 8, 2007 — by jsobotor
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Website?
Would love to check this out - could someone list the website?
Posted on October 17, 2007 — by kizlives
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I've been that hungry before
It's not like you can walk down any sidewalk without tripping over a homeless person in SF. I am all for helping when and where I can and I applaud others for thinking of ways to help and reduce waste but I have found that the direct hand off works best for me.
I can't help but be concerned about how unsanitary eating food left on a trash can might be or about the ill nature of some who might find it funny to poison, drug, or spit on re-plated food.
As someone who was active with Food Not Bombs in SF during the Frank Jordan years, I can see the need to help feed. We were faced with arrest and jail on a regular basis with 'health concerns' being cited as the primary reason for the police harassment but we trudged on. Based on that experience though, I don't see this as something that will fair well with the officials, but I can see it catching on with diners out on the town.
Still the personal hand off seems the best route to take when available.
Posted on October 26, 2007 — by lofat
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Official Link, and Thoughts
Here is the link: [url=http://www.replate.org/[/url]
The logo could use some work IMO.
Regarding the actual idea, I think it's neat that people are both eliminating waste and feeding homeless. However, I wonder if this could have an unintended negative side effect of encouraging poor people not to look for a job, etc, becaue now they can have free meals.
I'm all for philanthropy, however I believe that people will not learn anything by simply being given something without earning it in someway.
Posted on October 30, 2007 — by shwizle
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Cultural Differences
I found this to be a very interesting alternative to a law that was attempting passage in Las Vegas, NV outlawing feeding the homeless. I'm not sure if ever hit the books, but a little over a year ago it had quite a bit of support. I wonder what causes the difference in mindsets on this subject?
Posted on November 6, 2007 — by krashee
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OK but ....
Good intent but... How about putting it a plastic ziplock bag. It will reduce insect/parasite contamination.
Leaving food out for the poor with personally handing it them seems sort of elitist...maybe.
But a helping hand is still a helping hand.
Posted on November 9, 2007 — by Safetyman
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Feed the world
Its a great idea, as a fellow commentator, said one has only to look at the numbers of homeless in San Francisco, to see the need for a more responsible attitude to food
Memorial Gifts
Posted on November 13, 2007 — by Ericthered
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Restaurants should do the Same
In Boston on Charles Street the Upper Crust Pizzeria always used to leave their leftover pizzas on top of the trash cans at night, the hungry homeless and college students would go to get free food. I had several friends who went to eat the pizza knowing that it was sanitary enough!
Posted on November 19, 2007 — by Pancakepopple
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Bourgeois guilt at its finest...
This whole concept is completely tacky, disgusting, and lazy. Yes, it's true that there are hungry people who sift through garbage cans as a way to feed themselves, but has anyone taken into consideration that it's because your local food pantry or soup kitchen isn't getting donations like it used to? (Check out a recent article at ABC.com Why not give food to your local anti-hunger organization or start a campaign to encourage caterers and local restaurants to DONATE leftovers (not the half-eaten kind) to these groups? (Island Harvest in New York is an EXCELLENT example.)
As someone who works for an anti-hunger advocacy agency, I have to stress the importance of REAL advocacy. Leaving your leftover burrito on a trash can is not only unhealthy but it doesn't come anywhere near fixing any real problems.
Posted on December 11, 2007 — by akymbo784
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