Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) and Children's Hospital are serving up a new way of processing waste. Café customers are now asked to deposit all waste into a tray collection area - everything from food scraps and napkins to recyclables such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Behind the scenes, kitchen staff sort the waste. By recycling and composting kitchen by-products, Virginia Mason's café reduced the amount of waste produced at their establishment by 90% during the first week. Further, with kitchen staff sorting the waste and using a different dish-cleaning process, the kitchen reduced the amount of water used by 50%. Children's Hospital kitchen expects to see at least a 60% drop in its waste by diverting organics to compost collection.

Overall, the Virginia Mason Medical Center campus generates 1,175 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year, with an annual disposal cost of $182,000. Approximately 75 percent of all MSW generated by VMMC is considered recyclable or compostable.