Discarding food waste in your trash is illegal in San Francisco, where the city’s new food composting law is now in effect. The law requires residents to discard food waste in a separate bin.

I’m in San Francisco this week for the annual Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) conference. Local feedback on this law is mixed—while most residents agree it’s the right thing to do and seem to be embracing the change, some find it a bit difficult to comply.

Talk at BSR is all about sustainable development, CSR and doing the right thing as businesses respond to a changed world. The conference abides by the MeetGreen^SM Certification Program, ensuring that recycling and energy-saving practices are in place. And, in general, BSR does a very nice job adhering to the standards it espouses.

So then, with that in mind, can someone explain to me why so much food is being wasted at this conference? Yes, the food waste will be composted, but is it really necessary to have full plates of fruit at each of 1,000+ seats in the ballroom when only half of the conference attendees consumed it?

Having planned large meetings, I completely understand the challenges and logistics of providing meals for a large group. It’s a balancing act, but it seems ironic that in a city with a new food composting law, so much food is being discarded unnecessarily. I guess there’s always room for improvement.