ENVIRONMENT
to 24 percent for those 30-59 years of age and drops further to 14 percent for those 60 and older . But for households that don ’ t compost at home , the majority of food waste ends up in the trash . It ’ s collected by waste trucks that clang and bang on their weekly routes , and mushrooms to 11 billion pounds of food sent to California landfills each year . CalRecycle says organic waste such as food scraps , yard trimmings , paper and
DAD ’ S KITCHEN
CREATING COMFORT AND COMMUNITY
cardboard makes up 50 percent of content in the state ’ s landfills .
There , organic waste can ’ t decompose properly , so it releases methane — a short-lived greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years of its lifetime . Methane is a key contributor to climate change and California landfills contribute approximately one-third of the state ’ s total methane emissions . To reduce short-lived
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
“
Dad ’ s Kitchen is a destination for awesome comfort food and great craft beers and cocktails ,” says Sukhy Collins , who took co-ownership of the restaurant in 2010 and became the sole owner in 2018 . “ We pride ourselves on the highest customer experience delivered with warmth , friendliness and teamwork .”
With locations in Land Park and Fair Oaks , Dad ’ s Kitchen offers American cuisine , including burgers , sandwiches , fries , soups and salads and is known for its selection of beers and cocktails . The lively , homey atmosphere , including patio dining in good weather , welcomes guests from near and far .
Collins is resilient and calm under stress , which suits her well in the restaurant business , as she oversees 65 employees . “ I ’ m proud of my work , but it ’ s really only possible through the incredible group of people who ’ ve been drawn to Dad ’ s ,” she says . “ I enjoy helping people to feel better just by being in the environment and I feel most at home by creating community .”
Building on the success of riding the waves of the pandemic , Collins looks to develop what her team has learned--to become more compassionate , positive influences . “ I want to create integration rather than separation during what can be extremely divisive times ,” she concludes . “ I ’ d like to take the Dad ’ s Kitchen experience and community and develop a new generation of leaders who can extend the legacy .”
916.447.3237 ilovedadskitchen . com
8928 Sunset Ave ., Fair Oaks CA 95628
2968 Freeport Blvd ., Sacramento CA 95818 greenhouse gas emissions , Senate Bill 1383 was signed into law in 2016 and went into effect Jan . 1 , 2022 with the goal of reducing organic waste sent to landfills by 75 percent by 2025 . It mandates all Californians and businesses to recycle their food waste and requires some food businesses and other facilities to donate leftover edible food . The law aims to recover 20 percent of edible food that would otherwise be thrown away for human consumption by 2025 .
“ This is the single fastest and easiest thing that each and every one of us can do ,” says Rachel Machi Wagoner , director of CalRecycle . “ Just think about how much easier it is to throw away a banana peel than to stop driving your car .”
It ’ s the largest change in solid waste management since jurisdictions began curbside collection recycling programs in the 1980s . While Assembly Bill 1826 began requiring some commercial businesses such as restaurants to recycle their food waste in 2016 , SB 1383 is the first program in the U . S . of this scale ( 40 million people ) to mandate residents and all businesses — regardless of whether they are in the food service industry or how much food waste they produce — to do so as well .
The mandate , which doesn ’ t have an opt-out option , requires local jurisdictions to procure a certain percentage of the products created from the recycled organic waste . For example , much of the organic waste collected will be processed into fertilizer , mulch or energy . Based on a jurisdiction ’ s population , CalRecycle assigns an annual target of how much product created from the waste each jurisdiction needs to use .
“ We are at the precipice of building a circular economy here in California ,” Wagoner says . “ Organic waste is … foundationally a part of how we ’ re going to do it and it contains all the principles . We ’ re taking something that otherwise would have gone as a waste . We ’ re turning that into a commodity . We ’ re doing it locally here in California and we ’ re putting it back to use here in California and we ’ re doing it to the benefit of the communities that are participating in that economy .”
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86 comstocksmag . com | March 2022