The waste warriors saving millions of meals from the bin

The Irish innovators 
redirecting unwanted food to the needy and helping businesses slash the amount they throw away tell their story

Tech to keep track: Mark Kirwan of Positive Carbon, which helps businesses monitor their food waste. Photo by Gerry Mooney

Catherine Healy

Every day at a huge warehouse in Tallaght, FoodCloud workers unload crates of produce that would have otherwise been binned.

It’s one of three Irish depots used by the social enterprise to sort through food donations from businesses before they are matched with charities. All kinds of things arrive in vans from early in the morning — pallets of fruit and veg, bags of potatoes, packets upon packets of pasta, rice and soup.