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The Wasted Food Estimation Guide is designed to help businesses assess their food waste.
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In 2023, 53 organics haulers served 3,120 MA businesses. Data shows continued growth in organics diversion, with 11,818 tons of food waste prevented since 2018.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released new reports that quantify the environmental impacts of wasted food. In response to these findings, the EPA introduced the Wasted Food Scale (pictured below), an iteration of the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy. The Wasted Food Scale is designed to empower individuals, businesses, institutions, and more with the…
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Since 2014, when the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) enacted the Commercial Organics Disposal Ban, businesses and institutions across the state have increasingly diverted food waste. While food waste diversion leads to significant environmental benefits, it also has the potential to provide cost savings for businesses and creates opportunities to address customer and employee…
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Since 2014, when the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) enacted the Commercial Organics Disposal Ban, businesses and institutions across the state have increasingly diverted food waste. While food waste diversion leads to significant environmental benefits, it also has the potential to provide cost savings for businesses and creates opportunities to address customer and employee…
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Breweries across Massachusetts are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability through waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and organics diversion opportunities. Here are just a few recent examples. Untold Brewing is a Scituate-based microbrewery with sustainability efforts focused on waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and water conservation. As recently reported by The Hingham Anchor, the micro-brewery diverts spent…
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The Recycling & Reuse Business Development Grant (RBDG) program is intended to help Massachusetts recycling processors and manufacturers create sustainable markets for eligible materials, and to add value to municipal and business recycling efforts. Selected applicants will receive grant awards of between $50,000 and $400,000. Targeted materials for the 2021 RBDG are: Container glass: developing…
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As reported by Cape Cod Times, the Massachusetts Oyster Project successfully collected 25,000 pounds of shells from Wellfleet restaurants. These shells will be scattered along the Wellfleet harbor to restore oyster habitat instead of going for disposal. Eight local Wellfleet restaurants signed up for the pilot program and successfully sorted the shells into designated containers…
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The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has published the final 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan and announced the following amendments to the waste ban regulations, which will be effective on November 1, 2022: Mattresses will be banned from disposal. Textiles will be banned from disposal. The Commercial Organics Disposal Ban will apply to businesses…
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Since 2014, when the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) enacted the Commercial Food Material Disposal Ban, businesses and institutions across the state have increasingly started diverting food waste. While food waste diversion leads to significant environmental benefits, it also has potential to provide cost savings for businesses, and opens up opportunities to address customer…
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Widespread changes in consumer dining and purchasing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic shifted food waste generation from business sectors like catering, restaurants, and institutional cafeterias to homes, impacting composting operations across the state. As described by The Vineyard Gazette, the Martha’s Vineyard Food Waste Recovery Initiative is one of many programs that experienced a reduction…
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Restaurateurs and business owners are faced with numerous demands on a regular basis – from pleasing customers, to operational logistics, to balancing books, to adapting to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. MetroWest Daily News recently highlighted another factor businesses must consider: establishing and maintaining successful recycling and composting programs. Cardboard, bottles and cans,…
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The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently released proposed amendments to the solid waste disposal bans (310 CMR 19.000). These changes would add mattresses and textiles as materials that are banned from disposal in Massachusetts, and lower the threshold for the commercial organics ban so that it would apply to businesses generating one-half ton…
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Has your business ever lost food inventory as result of an emergency or other unplanned event? Once an emergency happens, it is likely too late to create a plan that prevents wasted food from being disposed of as trash. With a plan in place in advance, you can reduce the amount of food that is…
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As restaurants, bars, hotels, and other businesses have closed or adjusted their operations due to COVID-19, breweries have been faced with excess inventory that cannot be sold. The Massachusetts Brewers Guild recently shared how breweries can partner with organics processors, such as Vanguard Renewables’ farm-based digesters, to divert the liquid from disposal, turning it into…
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Since the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) enacted the commercial organics waste ban in 2014, there has been an increase in the diversion of food waste by businesses and institutions across the state. In addition to the environmental benefits of diverting food waste, many businesses have recognized potential cost savings, and the opportunity to…
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RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) recently developed a new webpage that includes links to the most commonly referenced tip sheets, best management practices, and other resources on waste reduction, recycling, and food recovery. Some of the resources highlighted on this page include: Guidance for Businesses Contracting for Trash, Recycling, and Food Waste Services Single Stream Recycling…
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized four Massachusetts entities with 2019 Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) awards. The Food Recovery Challenge is a voluntary program for organizations and businesses to implement strategies to reduce food waste in their operations in alignment with the Food Recovery Hierarchy. If your organization is not already a Food…
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Anaerobic digestion infrastructure has expanded in Massachusetts, creating an important outlet for commercial organic waste. One company, Vanguard Renewables, operates five anaerobic digesters on dairy farms across the state, which provide opportunities for supermarkets, food manufacturers, restaurants, and other businesses to divert their food material from disposal and comply with the Massachusetts commercial organics waste…
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Mass Live recently published an article on the opening of a new anaerobic digestion and depackaging facility in Granville. The facility, which is located on the family-owned Rockwood Farm and was developed by Ag-Grid Energy, will process enough food waste to generate 3.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The project received outside grant…
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The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has released the Draft 2020-2030 Solid Waste Master Plan. The plan proposes aggressive goals for waste reduction, building on the 18 percent reduction in disposal per capita achieved from 2008 to 2018. MassDEP has developed and implemented extensive programs since releasing the previous Solid Waste Master Plan in…
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The National Waste and Recycling Association recently named Wellesley-based Vanguard Renewables the 2018 Organics Recycler of the Year, as reported by the Greenfield Recorder. This represents one of five prestigious recycling awards honoring innovative leaders in the waste and recycling industry. Vanguard was recognized for its portfolio of anaerobic digester operations throughout Massachusetts, which, with…
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EcoRI News recently described Stop & Shop’s efforts to minimize waste in its operations. The Quincy-based company is leading the way for other supermarket chains, utilizing recycling, food donation, and anaerobic digestion initiatives to reduce waste. Each day, delivery trucks transport grocery products to more than 200 Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and…
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Waste360 recently reported on an innovative Massachusetts anaerobic digestion (AD) plant that is expanding its capacity for accepting food waste. The expanded facility at Crapo Hill Landfill in New Bedford will begin accepting loose and packaged food for processing, providing an additional outlet for businesses and institutions in the region subject to the Massachusetts Commercial…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Foodservice Packaging Recovery Toolkit is a free resource and guide on recovering foodservice packaging that was launched on April 21, 2016. Foodservice packaging includes items such as boxes, bags, and cups. The Foodservice Packaging Institute is a North American trade association for foodservice packaging industry. Within the institute, the Paper Recovery Alliance, and Plastics…
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Renewable Energy from Waste reports on Stop & Shop Supermarket’s Green Energy Facility in Freetown, Massachusetts, which opened April 15. The Green Energy Facility will accept wasted food from the 212 New England Stop & Shop stores and convert this food into energy. The Green Energy Facility estimates that 34,000 tons of inedible food can…
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The Eagle Tribune published an Earth Day article by Martin Suuberg, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Suuberg’s article highlights partnerships and collaborations to promote goals and creative solutions for environmental protection. He provides the example of Massachusetts Clean Energy Partnership for Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities. This partnership includes the Greater…
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Practice Greenhealth is hosting a five-part series, “Feed People, Not Landfills,” on reducing food waste in hospitals. Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit membership organization, is a source for environmental solutions in the healthcare sector, including webinars, eLearning, and educational programs. The five webinars focus on food waste assessment, prevention, donation, and management in the health care…
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The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) recently featured the Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban in a Success Story Video. ECOS is an association that helps state agencies to improve human and environmental health in the US. Massachusetts is one of the first states in the nation to implement an organics disposal ban. The ban,…
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GreenBiz reports a new collaboration to research and identify strategies for reducing food waste known as Rethink Food Waste through Economics and Data (RFED). ReFED is led by a group of businesses and foundations including Sodexo, Deloitte Consulting, MissionPoint Capital Partners, and the Closed Loop Fund. ReFED research has identified $165 billion in annual lost revenue in the…
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In February, Food Engineering Magazine published an article on tactics that food and beverage manufacturers are taking to reduce waste. Food and beverage processors are using a wide variety of methods to reduce waste; these efforts help meet company’s sustainability goals while offseting manufacturing costs. The article includes some tips from RecyclingWorks for reducing waste.…
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The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is accepting applications for the Commonwealth Organics-to-Energy Program. The funding supports technologies that convert source-separated organic waste into electricity, thermal energy, or compressed gas for vehicle fuel. Applications are currently being accepted for three types of projects: Implementation and Pilot Project Construction Funding. Due March 22. Feasibility Studies. Due…
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MetroWest Daily News reports on a range of food waste reduction efforts going on across the MetroWest region. The Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban, which went into effect in October of 2014, has motivated increased interest in diverting surplus food and food scraps from landfills and incinerators. The article describes examples of businesses and institutions…
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The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) has created a Best Practices & Emerging Solutions Guide. FWRA is an initiative of the Food Marketing Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and the National Restaurant Association. FWRA has three main goals: To reduce the amount of food waste generated To increase the amount of surplus food that is…
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WCAI Local NPR for the Cape, the Coast, and the Islands, reported on RecyclingWorks efforts to reduce food waste in conjunction with the Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban. The story is based on an interview with RecyclingWorks staff, Lorenzo Macaluso. Macaluso describes how RecyclingWorks helps businesses divert excess food through source reduction, donation, composting, and…
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WABI TV5 reports on a new food waste depackaging and anaerobic digestion system operated by Agri-Cycle Energy and Exeter Agri-Energy in Exceter, Maine. The depackaging machine helps divert packaged food waste from landfills. Packaged food is fed into a large drum that breaks up the packaging. The food waste is then fed into 400-thousand-gallon anaerobic…
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The EPA recently upgraded the Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) website. Any business or organization can join the FRC as a participant or endorser. Participants help prevent food waste by setting and tracking food waste reduction goals that follow the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy. Endorsers help educate organizations and businesses about the environmental costs of food…
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A recent article in BioCycle outlines a report on options for commercial generators to manage organics on-site. This report was created by Tetra Tech Inc. as a guide to help businesses comply with Vancouver’s organics disposal ban which took effect July 1, 2015. The analysis covers everything from conventional storage through anaerobic digestion. The report…
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The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) recently announced $1.1 million in funding for three projects that will convert organic materials into energy. The awards will support the development of anaerobic digestion facilities in Bourne, Freetown and Hadley. Harvest Power, Bourne, MA: $400,000 to design and build an anaerobic digester for processing wastewater treatment sludge, food waste, fats,…
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A revised version of a guide to On-Site Systems for Managing Food Waste, compiled by RecyclingWorks, is now available on our website on the “Options for Complying with the Commercial Organics Waste Ban” page. This comprehensive, 88-page guide includes information about cost-effective ways to comply with the Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban on-site, such as…
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This article and accompanying video highlight major grocery store chains that are diverting unsold food that cannot be donated, as well as food scraps that are not sent to composting, to anaerobic digestion. In April, Stop & Shop announced the groundbreaking for its 1.25 MW anaerobic digester at its Freetown Distribution Center, which will…