27,315, the population increases immensely in summer due to the horse racing events. Saratoga Race Course events contribute greatly to the economy of Saratoga Springs over the summer. According to the 2015 census data, 92% of Saratoga Springs is classified as “White”, and 2.6% are “African American”, while 3.2% are classified as “Hispanic or Latino”. Of the most common industries between 2008-2012 in Saratoga Springs, 8% are accommodation and food services. As of 2014 city data, there are 102 full-service restaurants in Saratoga Springs. 3.3 Instrumentation and Data Analysis Our research team consisted of two students, Raquel Escobar and Melissa Kaslowski, under the supervision of one faculty advisor, Andrew J. Schneller. The data for this study was collected over an eight-month period from 2014 to 2015 (September, 2014 to April, 2015). Interviews began in February 2015 and were conducted through April 2015. Interview questions were designed to gather information on restaurant’s knowledge on composting and motivate them to composting. Two sets of semi-structured interview questions were created depending on whether or not restaurants are composting. In total we conducted 12 interviews; one informal interview with our stakeholder Evolv, another informal interview with Scotty Kellogg, who manages a compost collection program in Albany, and interviews with ten restaurants. The ten restaurants included: The Mouzon House, One Caroline Bistro, Wheatfields, Max London’s, The Local, Saratoga Farmstead B&B, Olde Bryan Inn, The Brook Tavern, 50 South, Henry Street Taproom. Seven out of ten interviews with restaurants were conducted on site at the restaurants, two were
This lack of communication was a huge issue for both the company and the restaurants, because the composting service wasn’t free. The inconsistency of service was a reflection of the relationship between the two owners because there (also) existed a lack of communication. The Owner of the Mouzon House recalled the same experience with Evolv, however, she continued using the bin, but it became so overfilled that she had to get rid of it because it was overflowing, created a stench, and attracted pests (Pedinotti, personal communication, 2015). Although both restaurants expressed many positive and negative experiences with Evolv, both agreed that if Evolv continued their services they would still want to participate. Conclusion Food waste is a prominent issue in the United States, and an even more pressing issue in Saratoga Springs. As mentioned before, it is not mandated by New York State Law to reduce food waste, and so any sustainability initiatives taken by restaurants are by choice. Our initial reactions from restaurant managers before our interviews took place were either really positive or negative. Evolv Composting faced many challenges such as not being able to receive active participation from restaurants. Initially, many restaurants were reluctant to have an interview about a composting program, specifically (Evolv) because this was the first time this idea was ever posed. Many managers were not aware of restaurants that were currently participating in a composting program in that area, which influenced their stigma and attitudes towards composting. While some showed stigma to composting, others were more willing to learn and practice composting, if the service was either free or they had more space in their restaurant. All of the restaurants were partaking in sustainability initiatives such as recycling, locally sourcing food,