A recent blog post by Spoiler Alert predicts the top three trends expected to make it easier for businesses to manage food inventory and prevent waste in 2018. ‘Root-to-Stem’ and ‘Nose-to-Tail’ Strategies The first trend is related to the source reduction of food waste, which the EPA ranks as the top priority for reducing the…
A recent Biocycle article describes how new depackaging facilities across Massachusetts are making it easier for businesses to divert packaged food materials from disposal. Packaged foods may be thrown away when they are out-of-date, mislabeled, damaged, or spoiled. To cut down on this avoidable waste, new facilities are being developed to efficiently remove food from…
A recent Waste Dive article discusses the growth of the food recovery marketplace in Massachusetts, including expansion in tons of diverted food waste, quantity of customers served by organics waste haulers, and number of end-sites available for processing food waste. This article was based on a presentation by MassDEP at its Organics Subcommittee meeting held…
In November, the US Environmental Protection Agency recognized 14 Massachusetts entities with 2017 Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) Awards. Food Recovery Challenge participants pledge to prevent and divert wasted food in their operations. Food Recovery Challenge National Award Winners include Massachusetts businesses Signature Breads in Chelsea and Spoiler Alert in Boston. Last year alone, Signature Breads…
On November 9, RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts, Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts co-hosted a Food Sustainability Symposium in Easthampton, MA, focusing on effective food waste solutions for businesses and institutions. Symposium attendees learned from their peers about different strategies for cost effectively diverting food scraps and surplus food from…
Pine Island Farm, a large dairy farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts, recently received one of the American Biogas Council 2017 Biogas Industry Awards for its innovative on-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. Pine Island Farm developed the system to help combat common farming industry concerns such as manure management, groundwater protection, and odor control. Anaerobic digestion represents…
A recent WasteDive article describes how Waste Management’s Centralized Organic Recycling (CORe) facility in Boston is diverting food waste from landfills and preparing it for use as a clean energy source. The compact CORe system provides another outlet for businesses and institutions located in densely populated areas that cannot easily support a large composting facility. Currently,…
Mashable’s new series, A Cleaner Future, recently highlighted the food recovery software platform Spoiler Alert in their segment Reducing Food Waste with Technology. Spoiler Alert, a Massachusetts-based organization, helps food service businesses track and donate unsold inventory. Emily Malina, Chief Product Officer, explains how the software syncs with the business inventory lists to show unsold…
In July, BioCycle published a guide to pretreatment of on-site food waste equipment and systems. The article describes three broad categories of equipment: Dehydrators utilize thermal processes to evaporate the liquid present in food waste. Liquefiers use water and enzymes/microbes to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and create wastewater that is usually discharged to…
A recent Boston Globe article describes how local celebrity chefs and upscale restaurant owners are finding creative ways to reduce food waste. By tracking food loss, utilizing all edible food, and holding employees accountable, these businesses are saving money on purchasing while creating flavorful dishes. Here are a few outstanding examples, showcasing how Massachusetts restaurants…
MassDEP is aware of the Chinese government’s policy and intention to limit the import of secondary mixed paper and mixed plastics. MassDEP is evaluating the situation and communicating with impacted parties as well as other state government agencies nationwide. There continues to be significant uncertainty on the short and long-term impacts of this policy. As…
LeanPath’s Executive Chef, Robb White, recently addressed three of the biggest waste culprits in the kitchen: Overbuying, Fear of Running Out, and Knife Skills. 1. Overbuying is when more food was purchased than could be utilized before it was spoiled, passed the serve by date, or deteriorated in quality. White lists several solutions to help…
LeanPath’s co-founder and CEO, Andrew Shakman, recently wrote a post about funding upfront investment in food waste prevention. Food waste reduction is most effective when preventing the food waste from happening in the first place. The first step to prevention is measurement. However, as Shakman mentions, a common challenge in waste tracking and analytics is…
WasteDIVE recently published an article on Wasteless, a startup aiming to reduce waste while saving customers and retailers money. The technology tags perishable foods in stores by replacing the bar codes on products with an RFID chip. The RFID chip tracks items’ expiration dates, and detects the appropriate price to encourage items to sell. Soon…
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), recently added a section on recycling stock pharmaceutical bottles to their guide on recycling grocery rigid plastics. The guide encourages grocery stores to recycle their primary rigid plastics: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). The guide was developed with assistance from the American Chemistry Council, and includes data…
Fortune’s column on startups recently published Beth Kowitt’s article featuring the Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery store based in Dorchester, MA. Founded by Doug Rauch, the grocery store aims to reduce wasted food and increase access to affordable nutritious food. Rauch explains that while “best by” or “sell by” dates, for most items, are a…
Jennifer Gerholdt’s recent article on the World Economic Forum website highlights four businesses that are finding value in the circular economy. The circular economy is an economic model focused on designing and manufacturing products, components and materials for reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. The four companies featured in this article are part of report by the…
Jon Frandsen from PBS recently reported on how states are working to reduce food waste. The article describes the growing number of state policies to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills. In addition to Massachusetts, four other states (California, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont) already have some form of food waste disposal…
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future analyzes the nutritional composition of wasted food in the United States. The study shines a light on the link between the millions of Americans who are food insecure and the massive quantity of wasted food that could help…
City of Boston Mayor Martin Walsh recently released a Request for Proposals to develop a Zero Waste Plan for the City of Boston. In doing so, Mayor Walsh emphasized that reducing waste would result in positive economic, environmental, and public health impacts for citizens. The zero waste plan, following the model of other cities such…
According to a MassLive article, MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg testified at a hearing on landfills and solid waste to discuss progress toward the state’s goal to reduce its solid waste disposal by 2020. MassDEP set a goal in its solid waste master plan to reduce disposal by two million tons from a 2008 baseline. Commissioner…
The Martha’s Vineyard commercial organic waste diversion program will continue after its first year as the island community attempts to develop a local and sustainable system for waste reduction. The Vineyard Gazette details the findings and recommendations of the Island Wide Organics Feasibility Study, which began as the project of Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellow Sophie…
The “farm bill”, the largest and most important piece of legislation for food and farm policy in the United States, is scheduled to be reauthorized in 2018. Emily Broad Leib, Director of the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic (Harvard FLPC), wrote in a Huffington Post article that there is a sizable opportunity to cut…
On May 9, Gillette Stadium hosted RecyclingWorks in MA, MassDEP, and US EPA for the WasteWise Spring Forum on food recovery across the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy. The forum started with remarks from John Fischer, Branch Chief, Commercial Waste Reduction & Waste Planning at the MassDEP. John provided an update for attendees on solid waste…
Infinite Herbs and Specialties is a distributor of culinary herbs. Their packaging facility in Everett trims, packages, and ships herbs received in bulk from their production facilities. Infinite Herbs worked with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and RecyclingWorks in MA to set up organics collection to comply with the Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban.…
Some quantity of spoiled and damaged foods are an inevitable part of supermarket and food manufacturing operations. Being able to divert these food products from landfills has been a challenge given that many foods are sealed in packaging. However, BioCycle details how one Massachusetts company, E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc., invested in mechanical separation technology…
While food waste in the United States is a systemic problem with massive implications, there are many local organizations across the nation that are developing cutting edge solutions to cut the amount of food that gets landfilled. ReFED, a nonprofit comprised of leaders across all sectors who are dedicated to finding scalable solutions to reducing…
Colleges produce a lot of waste throughout the year, but there may be no time when campuses produce more than the end of the school year when students move out. During move out, rather than hauling their mini-fridges and futons home, students often opt to get rid of them. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette,…
Coalesce, an organization that works with colleges and universities to develop collaborative solutions to improve sustainability, recently wrote on the challenges posed by compostable plastics for food waste diversion programs. Many institutions, especially universities, have switched to BPI certified disposable compostable products, such as cold cups and cutlery, rather than traditional plastic options. Most compost…
Experts estimate that approximately 8.5 million tons of furniture waste is sent to landfills each year, even though much of the “waste” is still usable either as parts or as a whole. Over the past decade, though, increased interest in furniture waste has forged important and fruitful relationships, according to a Waste360 article highlighting the…
When Berkshire Community College (BCC) saw the opportunity to defend their 2016 statewide RecycleMania title, they didn’t waste it. Four Massachusetts schools – BCC, Hampshire College, Endicott College, and UMass Amherst – placed in the top 50 of the college & university recycling challenge. BCC took the top prize for the state and claimed 4th…
The Foxborough Patch reports that MassRecycle awarded their annual Recycler of the Year in the Business category to Patriot Place. The award is given to a business that has developed and operates an outstanding recycling/waste reduction program that increases recycling and/or reduces waste generated by their business. The award comes as a result of Patriot…
In the face of a changing dairy market, Barstow’s Longview Dairy Farm in Hadley, MA capitalized on another product from their cows: manure. Manure Manager reports that Vanguard Renewables invested in the construction of an anaerobic digester that allows the farm to repurpose the manure as both fuel and fertilizer while reducing business operation costs.…
An article in WasteDive reports on a new program to train hotel staff on effective food waste reduction strategies. The program is the result of a new partnership between the Rockefeller Foundation, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA). Instead of wasting leftover food, the pilot program encourages hotels and their…
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) program is currently accepting applications for its 2017 cycle. The program, now in its second year, aims to assist recycling processors and manufacturers in creating sustainable markets for difficult-to-process materials, and to add value to municipal and business recycling efforts. For this round of…
RecycleMania, a national competition to mobilize waste reduction at colleges and universities, is accepting case study submissions for creative waste reduction or educational campaigns. The RecycleMania Campus Engagement Case Study Competition is a way for colleges and universities to showcase their efforts to reduce waste and influence institutional and personal practices. There are three types…
A BioCycle article demonstrates the progress Massachusetts has accomplished in eliminating food waste and the continuing challenges and opportunities for growth. The article was written by John Fischer, Branch Chief for Commercial Waste Reduction at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Elizabeth Johnston who is a Senior Manager at ICF’s Cambridge office. Massachusetts has…
In March, the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW) called the RecyclingWorks hotline to find an outlet for the surplus food from a meal prepared for their overnight snow crew. RecyclingWorks provided the Cambridge DPW with several potential food rescue outlets to help donate these surplus meals. The Cambridge DPW connected with the St. Bartholomew’s…
A graduate student at the Harvard University Extension School, Monica Munoz, authored a paper regarding organic waste management in the hotel sector in Massachusetts and the United States at large. The paper discusses the impacts of the Commercial Organics Waste Ban on affected hotels, the economic benefits of reducing food waste, and the potential that…
Spoiler Alert, a company which offers software to facilitate the donation of surplus food, created a list of resources for food waste in all six New England states. The section for each state has information on relevant state laws and waste bans, state agencies, and non-profit organizations that work with food waste diversion and donation.…
An article in To Market Magazine highlights a variety of pioneering food waste initiatives at New England colleges and universities. The article splits the campus food waste initiatives into four categories: Feeding the System, Feed the People, Source Reduction, and Cultural Shift. The food waste programs mentioned in the article demonstrate that colleges and universities…
Boston College Dining Services collaborated with a student group on campus to create a “trash dinner” comprised entirely of pre-consumer food scraps. The event was designed to encourage students to think about wasted food and creative ways to reduce it. The menu for the trash dinner incorporated parts of food that are frequently discarded such…
UMass Boston’s College of Management is hosting a panel on business opportunities in the circular economy. The concept of a circular economy takes a cradle-to-cradle approach in which products are designed intentionally in order to maximize product life as well as recycling and reuse opportunities. This paradigm shift will have sizable implications for our waste…
A working group led by Keep America Beautiful and the United States Composting Council (USCC) announced new recommendations for organics collection containers. Mimicking the success of equating blue containers with recycling, the group of nonprofit and governmental organizations recommend designating green as the standard color for organic waste bins. The working group offers a number…
Following the success of the Lenox Environmental Committee’s outreach to encourage restaurants in the Town of Lenox to start diverting food scraps for composting, RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts approached the Town of Lee for a similar program. The Lee Greener Gateway Committee and RecyclingWorks reached out to a few dozen restaurants in Lee to promote diverting…
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is currently soliciting applications for Technical Services/Technical Studies grants through its Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy program. According to MassCEC, the program intends to “advance the Commonwealth’s goal of substantially increasing the diversion of source-separated organics away from landfilling or incineration.” This funding opportunity is designed to support technical studies regarding the…
There are substantial changes coming to date labels on food, according to an article in The Washington Post. The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the two largest groups representing the grocery industry, announced that they’ve adopted standardized, voluntary regulations to clear up what product date labels mean. Currently, manufacturers can…
A recent Waste 360 article examines the challenges and opportunities associated with offices establishing recycling programs. Waste 360 interviewed Lorenzo Macaluso, an employee for the Center for EcoTechnology who administers the RecyclingWorks in MA program, regarding the management of office waste and steps to improve it. One challenge for offices, Macaluso notes, is finding the…
A recent BioCycle article describes the results of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) report on the Commercial Food Waste Ban. The MassDEP report, conducted by ICF International, Inc. of Cambridge, studied the economic development benefits of the ban and the waste reduction initiatives. In October 2014, MassDEP implemented the Commercial Organics Waste Ban,…
An article published by Waste Dive highlights the efforts by the NFL to minimize waste produced at Super Bowl LI in Houston. The NFL’s environmental team begins planning how to handle waste at each Super Bowl more than a year in advance. Because the Super Bowl is held in a different city each season, each…
In January, WCAI reported on the organic waste recycling initiative on Martha’s Vineyard. Composting Program Coordinator, Sophie Abrams, is leading the feasibility study and pilot composting program to recycle organic waste on the island. This initiative is in response to the Commercial Organics Waste Ban, which bans businesses and institutions that generate of one ton…
In the fall of 2016, Angy’s Landolfi Food Group, reached out to RecyclingWorks via MassDOER’s Green Communities Division. Angy’s produces packaged tortellini, and had a large volume of leftover pasta scraps. RecyclingWorks staff met with Angy’s to conduct an assessment of the kitchen and bakery, and presented recommendations for diverting the wasted food. RecyclingWorks put…
The University of Louisville published an, “Organics Recovery Program Development Tool for Colleges and Universities.” This tool is for institutions interested in organizing or expanding existing organics recovery programs. The guide reviews the methods of organics recovery, the permitting and regulatory issues, institutional partners, funding mechanisms, and operational models. The on-site organics recovery methods include…
For participants in the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) and WasteWise programs, annual 2016 data and 2017 goals are due March 31, 2017. Participants in either program must submit their 2016 data and 2017 goals in order to stay active and maintain eligibility to receive awards. Enter data and goals by accessing your account on…
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued new guidance for food product labeling. The new guidance encourages food manufacturers and retailers to use a “Best If Used By” date label. This label helps reduce food waste as consumers have the least confusion associated with the label. The FSIS found…
The Quad, Boston University’s Independent Online Magazine, discussed the food diversion initiatives currently underway at the university. Hallie Smith, author of the post, used RecyclingWorks Food Waste Estimation Guide, to calculate the average food waste generated at Boston University (BU). To reduce this food waste the university has implemented diversion and prevention programs. According to…
Wicked Local Cambridge highlighted the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s recent award to Lesley University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The EPA presented the ‘Regional Food Recovery Achievement Certificate’ to 26 New England organizations, including Lesley University. Lesley University received this award in recognition of their sustainable food management practices. The certificates are part of the…
Our team recently had the opportunity to take a tour of the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) to see how these facilities separate the many materials in a recycling bin. The Springfield MRF, owned by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and operated by Waste Management Recycle America, has been sorting and selling the recyclables…
The Washington Post highlights Baldor Specialty Foods’ organic waste program. Baldor Specialty Foods started putting produce scraps to use rather than discarding them. The sparcs program at Baldor focuses on changing the narrative around excess food and the byproducts we do not usually use. Sparcs, which is scraps spelled backwards, includes foods such as carrot…
Last spring, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (Mass DHCD) asked RecyclingWorks for help diverting materials from disposal when renovating its properties. RecyclingWorks assisted Mass DHCD with a project involving window, roofing, and siding replacement at seven residential properties in Bourne. The project included replacement of 147 vinyl windows. All of the windows,…
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) released a new report highlighting the positive economic benefits of reducing food waste. This report studied the effects of the Massachusetts Commercial Food Waste Ban, which prohibits businesses and institutions that generate one ton or more of food waste per week from disposing of that waste in…
The MetroWest Daily News reported on Framingham State University’s effort to reduce wasted food on campus, including source reduction, education, food donation, and composting. FSU uses LeanPath to track and reduce the amount of wasted food. The university donates edible surplus food to local shelters, and dehydrates remaining food scraps to reduce its volume and…
The Boston Globe recently highlighted the efforts of Spoiler Alert and the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) to rescue surplus food. In September, approximately 11,000 organic eggs were donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank. GBFB used Spoiler Alert to send an alert to connect the near-expiration eggs to a Salvation Army community center to…
Biomass Magazine reports on the recent grants awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. The RBDG program focuses on difficult-to-recycle materials, including packaged food and glass. The recent awards went to projects focused on maximizing the use of the packaging and the food material. CRMC Bioenergy LLC,…
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is accepting grant applications through the Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy Program. The grant applications are for Feasibility Study Grants. These projects are to support the use of anaerobic digestion and other technologies that convert source-separated organic waste into electricity, thermal energy, and compressed natural gas fuel. The grant applications should have…
Sustainable America’s blog highlighted Juliet, a Somerville restaurant committed to reducing wasted food. Juliet hosted a dinner for the ReuseConex Conference in October and put the spotlight on turning would-be wasted food into tasty menu items. For the ReuseConex dinner, Juliet worked with local farmers markets and Metro Pedal Power to source the seconds at…
Recently, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) awarded $920,700 to five agricultural groups through the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program (MFVP). The MFVP intends to address food access and expansion of economic opportunities through new food ventures and enterprise throughout the state. The MFVP awarded projects that support the food processing infrastructure, distribution systems, and…
MassLive highlighted a Western Massachusetts’s campaign to raise awareness about liability protections for food donation. Community members and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts partnered to raise awareness around the liability protections, specifically educating about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. This act provides liability protections for entities that donated their surplus food…
The US EPA recently announced 2016 Food Recovery Challenge Award Winners in New England. Organizations that participate in the Food Recovery Challenge pledge to improve their sustainable food management practices and report their results. In 2015, 54 New England participants diverted over 52,000 tons of food to donation and/or composting. The EPA is presenting a…
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is accepting grant applications through the Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy Program. The grant applications are for “Pilot” and “Implementation” projects. These projects are to support the use of anaerobic digestion and other technologies that convert source-separated organic waste into electricity, thermal energy, and compressed natural gas fuel. Qualified applicants can receive…
A Co.Exist post describes the new “Food For All,” app supporting the reduction of wasted food at restaurants. Through the app, customers can purchase discount goods from the restaurants. Currently, 30 Boston restaurants are participating in the pilot release of the app. Restaurants are still able to donate to the food banks, yet the app…
This month, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) awarded $500,000 in grants through the Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. These awards went to three companies looking to better process and manage packaged food materials. The awardees include EL Harvey and Sons, Inc. in Westborough, CRMC Bioenergy, LLC in Mansfield, and Troiano Trucking, Inc.…
Green Retail Decisions recognizes Hannaford Supermarket’s savings with Manomet’s Grocery Stewardship Certification program. This certification helped Hannaford Supermarkets save more than $23 million in 2015. The Manomet Grocery Stewardship Certification (GSC) program provides resources for food retailers to optimize operational sustainability, including practices to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste. Hannaford Supermarkets used the GSC…
This fall, several facilities in Massachusetts are starting to accept packaged food material for depackaging. These facilities have installed infrastructure to separate food material from its packaging allowing the wasted food to be fed into an anaerobic digester, composted, or used to produce animal feed. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) list of organizations…
The US Environmental Protection Agency added a webpage designated for information regarding Anaerobic Digestion (AD). This webpage is to provide information to the public such as basic information, environmental benefits, types of anaerobic digesters, project profiles, tools and resources, and publications. The links on the webpage also include more detailed information and other relevant programs.…
The Healthy Building Network and StopWaste released the “Optimizing Recycling: Post-Consumer Polyethylene in Building Products” report. This report examines the hazards, supply chains, and economic impacts of using post-consumer polyethylene from products such as beverage containers as a feedstock streams for building products. The report outlines recommendations for manufacturers, recyclers, consumers, and government agencies to…
A recent Zero Waste Zone post describes a new partnership between the U.S. Green Business Council (USGBC) and the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council (USZWBC). The U.S. Green Business Council administers the LEED certification program which recognizes buildings for their sustainable building design, construction, operations, and maintenance. The U.S. Zero Waste Business Council offers a…
The Harvard Law School and Food For Free are partnering to reduce wasted food and distribute it to feed hungry people. Food for Free, a Cambridge nonprofit, rescues the excess food and distributes it to the area’s hungry. This partnership began with the Harvard Law School May 2016 Commencement lunch where Food for Free recovered…
A BlueCart blog post recommends steps for managing unsold food inventory at businesses. Many businesses must manage surplus products due to reasons such as, overproduction, unpredictable demand, imperfections, or approaching code dates. However, with the Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban, businesses and institutions disposing one ton or more of food waste per week must divert…
RecyclingWorks has been working with United Tool & Machine & Gaynor Industries to improve their recycling program and identify outlets for materials used in their manufacturing process. These manufacturing materials include scraps of neoprene and aramid fiber. RecyclingWorks connected United Tool & Machine with Extras for Creative Reuse, a store in Peabody that provides low and…
A recent Newburyport News article featured developer, George Haseltine’s recent deconstructed a home in Newburyport. Haseltine diverted the lumber from disposal, instead donating it to EcoBuilding Bargains for resale., Haseltine could receive a $84,500 tax credit for this donation if he makes a profit from the construction. EcoBuilding Bargains sells the used building materials at…
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is accepting comments and holding a public hearing for the 330 CMR 25.00, Agricultural Composting Program regulation. The public hearing will discuss amendments to the regulation through which Agricultural Composting Operations may register and receive education and technical assistance from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). Agricultural Composting…
An article on the Northstar Recycling blog identifies recycling sources in manufacturing waste streams. Due to the large intake of supplies and parts at manufacturing companies, manufacturing companies end up with materials that should be recycled. There are many materials that can be recycled after inbound shipments. These materials include slip sheets and corner boards,…
RecyclingWorks is developing best management practices for building professionals to increase recycling and reuse of construction and demolition (C&D) materials. RecyclingWorks is coordinating a series of stakeholder meetings that will inform the development of this guidance. Through these meetings, RecyclingWorks is learning about reuse and recycling of these materials from the experience of contractors, architects,…
RecyclingWorks is developing best management practices on contracting for hauling services for trash, recycling, and organics for businesses and institutions. RecyclingWorks is coordinating a stakeholder engagement process that will inform the development of this guidance. This approach is similar to the creation of the 2015 Food Donation Guidance Document. RecyclingWorks is hosting three stakeholder meetings…
RecyclingWorks presented on Food Donation Guidance for Massachusetts businesses at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Northeast Region Annual Food Protection Seminar. The seminar was held on August 12 at Hotel Northampton and hosted by the MA Department of Public Health (MA DPH). This presentation continued to engage public health officials in this initiative to…
Spoiler Alert created a “Beginner’s Guide to Food Waste,” which introduces the significance and ramifications of wasted food, government calls to action, awareness campaigns, and resources for reducing wasted food. The guide includes ReFED’s Roadmap, Natural Resource Defense Council’s Save the Food Campaign, and toolkits, such as the Food Waste Reduction Alliance’s Best Practices & Emerging…
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) recommends four tips for reducing wasted food at restaurants. These four tips were discussed at the “Reduce and Recover: Save Food for People” workshop hosted by Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic. This workshop was sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and…
The Sustainable Campus Competition is now accepting submissions! Kimberly-Clark Professional offers this competition to implement new green initiatives or expand current sustainability programs on campus. Round 1 submissions are due by 11:59 PM ET, August 19th. Round 1 includes a 500 word summary that describes a campus sustainability program focused in the areas of energy…
MV Times has recognized Martha’s Vineyard for their efforts to reduce wasted food. The Island Wide Organics Feasibility Study, funded by the Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship (MVVF), investigated the amount of wasted food on the island and strategies to minimize that waste. RecyclingWorks provided input for the study and assisted with the implementation of the pilot…
BusinessWest highlighted the 40 anniversary of the Center for EcoTechnology (CET). CET is the nonprofit organization that administers the RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts, a program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. RecyclingWorks has helped hundreds of businesses and institutions, such as restaurants, food manufacturers, state facilities, and colleges and universities, to reduce waste. CET…
A recent article in The Huffington Post recognizes four states, including Massachusetts, for innovative approaches to reduce wasted food. The article also highlights initiatives in Vermont, Ohio, and California. In 2014, Massachusetts passed the Commercial Organics Waste Ban, which prohibits businesses and institutions that generate one ton or more of food waste per week from…
Food pantries are regular recipients of donated surplus food from business and institutions. RecyclingWorks Food Donation Guidance provides information to help food service entities connect with food rescue organizations to donate surplus food to those who need it. Like other food service entities, food pantries generate food scraps that cannot be eaten. Recently, RecyclingWorks assisted…
The Closed Loop Foundation (CL Foundation) has released a “Food Waste Solution Search Request for Proposal.” The CL Foundation supports solutions that improve the waste and recycling industry and recently launched a Food Waste Initiative. This initiative supports the ReFED report, A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent. This Food Waste Solution…
The Huffington Post released an article highlighting the importance of food donation and the need for more uniform guidance and regulations around donation. Thanks to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, restaurants that donate food are protected from civil and criminal liability, with the exception of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. However, many…
WickedLocal.com highlights Massachusetts grocery stores’ diversion programs for wasted food. These programs help grocery stores comply with the Commercial Organics Waste Ban which bans businesses and institutions from disposing of one ton or more of food waste per week. Big Y sends 2,500 tons of wasted food annually from all Massachusetts and nine Connecticut stores…
Rethink Food Waste through Economics and Data (ReFED) released a video component to “The Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20%.” ReFED is a collaboration of over 30 businesses, nonprofits, foundations, and government leaders founded in 2015 to create the roadmap. The ReFED roadmap is a national study and action plan for reducing food…
Recycling Today announced the new recycling service provided by Leigh Fibers, a textile waste and reprocessing company. Leigh Fibers will partner with Cintas, a large industry uniform provider, to provide a Uniform Recycling Service. Most out-of-service uniforms end up in landfills. Leigh Fibers’ Uniform Recycling Service provides an outlet to recycle worn and unusable uniforms…
Keep America Beautiful (KAB), US Composting Council (USCC), and Kimberly-Clark Professional have released “A Guide to Workplace Composting.” This guide provides information on setting up a program to collect organic waste for composting at a range of workplaces such as office buildings, hotels, hospitals, and restaurants. The check list in the guide includes the 6…
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced the first round of Recycling Business Development Grant (RBDG) recipients. The RBDG recipients are Massachusetts recycling processors and manufacturers that intend to create a sustainable recycling market for eligible materials. Seven Massachusetts companies received an RBDG grant. These companies include: Aaron Industries Abby Enterprises Inc. Casella Waste Management…
