when i replate my own leftovers, i find that i’m motivated by the idea of wasting less food. i’m not super focused on who exactly eats the food, and i try to avoid labeling them as low-status in any way.

in my neighborhood (the mission, in SF), replated leftovers don’t stay around long enough to become a sanitation problem. in the 20min we spent shooting the photos for the project, we had two passersby ask us if we had already claimed the leftovers. my guess is that lots more people were just too shy to ask.

but regardless of whether or not we agree that it’s a good thing to do, we can both agree that it’s important we be able to talk about it, and it’s hard to do that if the thing doesn’t have a name.

that’s what this project is about: this is an initiative to give cultural currency to a common practice that has remained unnamed and unspoken. we’re doing this because it will create conversation about wasting less food.

“I think you’re focus (on reducing waste instead of “charity”) and your tone (friendly, frank) are both right on. Like all of your work : )

The only complication I would bring up revolves around the packaging: What’s the impact of using a bunch of packaging to doggie bag your food versus having the restaurant throw the food out? Which one wastes more?

It probably depends on the amount of food and the type of packaging…

Then again, the point of the project is give this action a greater meaning, and that it does. It’s really cool regardless of how the optimal resource wastage calculation shakes out.”