Determining the Amount and Types of Wastes Generated in Vocational School Cooking Programs and Educational Kitchen Applications and Environmental Recommendations in Education: Example of Ortaca Vocational School

Abstract

It is possible to find waste classification and waste management studies related to the food and beverage industry in the literature. Waste classifications and counts have been made in restaurants, hotel kitchens or production areas of mass nutrition systems. However, there is no waste management study related to educational kitchens in the literature. Educational kitchens differ from other kitchen applications interms of purpose and content. In educational kitchens, there is a variety of products, a variety ofproduction, and a small amount of production. Studies in these kitchens are carried out not for one type,but for the products of all different types of production. There are lessons in Ottoman cuisine, Turkish cuisine, regional cuisines, world cuisine, pastry, bread and many other fields. In addition, it is possible to increase the amount of waste due to mistakes and wrong applications during production. In educational kitchens, which are different for these and other reasons, information should be given not only on food production; but also on how to make production without waste andhow to reduce waste. Bringing this awareness to kitchen workers of the future at the beginning of their studies will be beneficial in the sectoral sense. For these purposes, the tools and equipment used in all applications and wastes produced in the application kitchen of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Ortaca Vocational School Cooking Program were counted, classified and recorded over a period of two weeks. According to the data obtained, it was concluded that the highest waste was production waste, while the second highest waste was food waste at the end of the day. Suggestions were made for the recycling of production and food waste; and for waste-free production practices training.