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 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,…
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…
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…
