Reusable Dishware Program Piloted Across Stanford Campus
Collecting 500+ donated plates and cutlery, Living Lab Fellow Anna Gomes is building a more communal and sustainable eating culture at Stanford.
California state law, Senate Bill 1383, mandates the recovery of edible food – this means that all food generators on campus are required to donate any excess.
Preventing Food Waste from the Start
Preventing edible food waste from the start and distributing excess food to students and staff are the best strategies to comply with the law.
Explore Stanford’s Food Waste Prevention Playbook to learn more.
Distributing Food on Campus
Utilize Slack channels or other building-wide communications to notify students, staff, and faculty of excess food.
Donating Excess Edible Food
Stanford is expanding its food recovery efforts by piloting an initiative to collect excess food from cafes and events on campus to donate to the local community. Using a mobile app, dining halls, cafes, and event planners can schedule free pick-ups of excess food – from beverages to burgers – between the hours of 6 AM and 7 PM. The food is distributed to local food recovery organizations, and data on the number of meals donated and greenhouse gas emissions saved is shared back with the food generators to demonstrate their impact. Contact the Office of Sustainability to start donating.
Start Donating Now
Join the pilot & learn how to easily start donating food to our community.
Pilot Program Progress
2,415
pounds of food diverted
2,013
meals donated to local non-profits
7,440
pounds of CO2 emissions saved
551,000
gallons of water saved
The donation from Stanford was really excellent…we took the food directly to the unhoused and were able to feed 200 people, and also shared some with our clients that are families in need. We really appreciate it and would be glad to receive these donations anytime! – Food donation recipient, Muslim Sisters Helping
Donate with Confidence
The Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects food donors from liability when donating to nonprofit organizations, as long as the food is given in good faith and is safe to eat.
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