Japan ranks second in the world by volume of single-use container waste per person. Increased demand for takeout and delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic only made things worse. The virus also caused a step-change in public awareness of personal hygiene, creating a strong psychological barrier to the reuse of containers, a practice which had been expanding gradually. The business models of restaurant operators also hindered container reuse, as it entails an additional washing process. Thus, food-related waste is becoming a serious problem along with the large amount of waste from the catering industry including residues from food manufacturing and cooking, as well as leftovers from restaurants.

To avoid affecting people’s lifestyles and the practices of restaurant operators, we attempted to reduce containers and other meal-related wastes through a system for using, collecting and upcycling recyclable containers. We focused on the rich nutrients contained in food waste discarded in the production process, such as wheat husks, coffee dregs, orange peel and tea leaves. Those waste materials were molded into containers using proprietary technology, to be supplied to restaurants and caterers. Used containers are collected in a dedicated box, and then mixed with leftovers to be regenerated into nutritious compost or feed. The recycled products are supplied to parks and farms nearby to produce food for the consumer market . Thus, through a double upcycling process, our system transforms waste that would have been discarded into something of different value.

The strategy is based on the "B to C to B strategy," in which the power of consumers drives the company. In the early stages of the project, the system was introduced at parks and campgrounds where many children gather, and the "crush and throw away" action became a hot topic. Through TV and other media exposure, the company was able to raise awareness of the waste problem and foster sympathy for edish itself. Utilizing this publicity, we approached corporate clients. Not only selling tableware, but also leasing composting equipment, the company created an economic incentive to reduce waste disposal costs. This caught attention to wide variety of businesses, including hotels and sports stadiums. The composting equipment introduced through edish has become a community composting system that can be shared with neighboring businesses and residents, and is being used to solve waste problems on a regional basis.

We designed the whole process ranging from an enabling mechanism for restaurant operators to points of contact with end users including webpages and POPs at restaurants. We also designed a bowl that can be easily crushed after use as an embodiment of upcycling, and an original collection box with a table for crushing the bowl, thus providing users with firsthand experience of upcycling the waste containers along with leftovers. Edish was tailored to suit the eating experience by retaining the texture and warmth of food waste, as well as the mild natural aroma left in the raw material. In addition, we produced a visual highlighting the whole lifecycle of edish, to be displayed at all points of contact.

Edish represents a highly flexible recycling system that allows upcycling mechanisms to be tailored to the conditions of the restaurant or caterer through different combinations of raw materials, container forms and collection methods. Introduced in various locations including park cafés in Tokyo, government staff canteens, drinking and eating spaces close to nature such as beaches and camp sites, stadiums and other sports facilities, and hotel buffets which generate lots of leftovers, our system has been producing compost to be supplied to flowerbeds in parks, farmers in local communities, and local schools for environmental education, among others. We thus helped reduce waste by about 8.4 tons in a year, while upcycling some 1.3 tons of food waste.