Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-25
THE WORLDS WASTE
In Quantity Much More Than
It Eats.
NEW YORK ISTHE WORST
FACTS ABOUT OTHER WAsTEFUL
AMERICAN CITIES.
Nobody Need Starve If What is Thrown
Away Could Be Made
Available.
NEW YORK Is THE WORST

down New York harbor to deposit their
cargoes in the open sea. Tons OF the food
were perfectly good. but all OF 1t was go
ing to be thrown to the fishes.
As the barges passed by an incoming lin
err passenger leaning over the taffrail.
exclaimed:
We'll I've travelled all over the world
and seen terrible waste of food in the trop-
les. but 1 should have thought a big city
like New York would have found some
thing better to do with all this stuff than
throw it away.
Economists agree that all over the world
people waste as much food as they con-
sumo. Practical men who have studied the
subject say that the inhabitants Of Ameri-
can towns and cities are more wastcful
than similar communities in Europe. and
that In New York the greatest waste oc-
ours.
New York is far and away the most
wasteful of all our cities. said an official
who has had great experience In the dis
posal of refuse in several American COM
munities. Flat life leads almost invari-
ably to waste. In Philadelphia there are
comparatively few fats, and probably not
one-hundredth part as much food Is wasted
there In New York In Philadelphia
people are economical. and the women do
their housekeeping very carefully The
same remarks hold good of Boston. in
are wasteful cities. but not nearly so waste
full New York. Pittsburg and Cleve-
land are also very wasteful. l think 1
would rank them next to New York.
Brooklyn and Jersey City are decidedly less
Wasteful than Manhattan.
LAS compared with her American sister.
the English housekeeper is model Of econ
omy. AS rule. the London housewife
only provides for her family just as much
food as they can eat. Her country cousin
is even more careful. The idea of throw
ing away half pound of steak or couple
OF lamb chops, as the Gotha m housewife
does without qualm, would brighten her.
But If YOU want to see real economy In
housekeeping you must go to Scotland
In Edinburgh and Glasgow the women
have reduced the elimination of waste to
a fine art
DR. J. NJ Woodbury.. New York's COM
missioner of street cleaning. agrees with
this official as far as his own town is con-
cerned.
1T Is only natural said the commits
sioner the other day. that the richest of
cities in America should also be the most
wasteful. New York. l should say. wastes
more food than any other city. 1t must
waste pretty nearly as much as it con-
SIImcs. | am simply astounded at the large
quantities of food given to my department
by fellow New Workers. to throw away.
Can you give an idea of the total
quartity?" Are there any statistics avail
able?" the commissioner was asked
NO 1t Is a matter that derieS statistics.
our d ths npy is has almost 1ns
market. house and fiat in New York daily
throws away large quantity of food. The
total is enormous. If you go down to the
department dumps, where the refuse col
lected all over the city is deposited In
scows for ultimate disposal. you will be
SURPRISED to see how large proportion or
the refuse consists of foodstuffs You
will then be able to realize what waste
full city New York is.
Tons of Wasted Food.
Two Of these dumps were visited. In
both places there were several big scows
laden with nothing but food-mountains OF
food hundreds of tons of food. Potatoes,
bread apples tomatoes. bananas. meat
turnlps, onions We're piled up in great heaps
on the scows with thousand other eat
ables.
rs it always like this" one of tie Of
ficials of the department was asked.
Yes, always so, more or less, ne
answered often there is great deal
more food than this 10 throw away LOOK
at this cart.
AS he spoke a cart came along the wharf
and tipped into the nearest ScoW q load
composed entirely of vegetables and fruits
is nothing ever done with this food?
the visitor asked
Nothing; it Is all thrown away. was
the answer. And YOU see, it is not nearly
all bad when it comes into our hands
Half of it, if not more. is good to eat. IN
less YOU have actually collected their re
fuse you have no idea of the wastefuness
of the average family III Ne" lorh
fiat.
The wife buys a steak and gets dinner
ready. and then the husband comes home
from business and says, Put your hat on
little girl I've got tickets for the theater,
and We'll have some dinner first at a res
taurant' So the whole of the dinner she
has prepared goes down the dumb-Walter
in the garbage pail Even when they DO
la i'm 10 al IA
much larger than they can eat, and third
or {; half of 1t ultimately comes to US
And they hardly ever give it away to
the poor In the first place. 1t is difficult
for !, beggar to tackle a family living in
a Nat. In the second place. New Workers
seldom encourage beggars in any shape or
form. / knew man, however, who was
shocked at the family waste and said that
all the uneaten food must be put aside and
given to the poor. He told two or three
'hobos' to call for it. In a week the word
had gone around that he was an easy
mark and there procession of beg
CARS up the stairs to his Nat all day long
THE janitor complained and his own
servant told him that she would leave I'M
less he got another girl to do nothing but
answer the door. So he had to give up his
charitable scheme. and now he sends all
his waste food down the dumb waiter like
other people
Cargoes Of Fruit Thrown Away.
The waste OF fruit in New York is in
credible. Every banana steamer brings
hundreds thousands OF lunches of fully
ripe bananas. beautiful. yellow fruit. just
ready 10 eat. The trade will not handle
fruit in this condition; il wants green fruit
All these ripe lunches are thrown away.
only a short time ago over million
bananas brought in the British steamship
| ChickanOniuy were wasted for this reason
Last wear | remember Italian steamer
coming in with a cargo of lemons The
oil fy.,,l. ln ina and h.Ar.
was no price for them. 1t was cheaper to
| buy lemons here than to import them. The
| whole OF the cargo was gwen TO our depart
| ment TO throw away.
This sort of thing seems awful waste