OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - The City of Oceanside has unveiled its latest effort to achieve their zero waste goals set back in 2011.
Green Oceanside Kitchen is a state-of-the-art food recovery and preservation facility dedicated to eliminating waste and feeding the community.
"We need to do better, we need to feed our community and educate our community," said Colleen Foster, the City's Environmental Officer.
The City teamed up with O'Side Kitchen Collaborative for the new project. They'll collect unwanted food from farmers, backyards, and food businesses, turning the goods into something delicious.
"I could've done anything, but for me, making an impact in my community as well as it tasting good is the best!" said Vallie Gilley, Executive Director of O' side Kitchen Collaborative.
The facility includes a 1,700 square foot commercial kitchen and a 500 square foot fridge that can hold about a semi-truck load of food. There's also an interactive demonstration kitchen for culinary arts training and education.
Foster says more than 40 percent of what is grown and produced in the U.S. is wasted. With the new green facility, planners hope to save 20 percent of what would've gone to waste.
"That's thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of pounds of food," said Foster.
The facility was designed to maximize food recovery and preservation with specialty equipment installed throughout.
Gillie's team will also be catering events to help support the program.
