CDRecycler recently reported on the sustainability achievements and lessons learned during the 2017 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and exposition dedicated to green building. Usually hosted by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC), in 2017, Greenbuild was co-located with the ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX),…
Saus is a locally-owned eatery on Union Street in Boston, specializing in preparing inspired dishes from scratch. The restaurant serves a constantly changing menu, but prides itself on one regular staple: hand-cut fries complemented by 15 unique sauces, as well as homemade mayo, ketchup, hot sauce, and gravy. Saus was recognized by Boston Magazine, receiving…
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently awarded nearly $1 million in Recycling Business Development Grants (RBDG) to six recycling companies in the state. The RBDG program helps businesses tackle difficult-to-recycle materials, such as contaminated food materials, construction and demolition wood, and bulky rigid plastics. The funds will help these businesses expand their operations and…
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 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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
