WCVB reports on the awards that the EPA recently announced which recognize organizations for their food waste reduction efforts. Four of the fourteen organizations that received awards nationwide are located in New England. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was recognized for food waste outreach and technical assistance provided through the RecyclingWorks program. Salem State…
The MetroWest Daily News published an article about The Food Recovery Act, which was introduced this week. This bill outlines a series of strategies for reducing food waste on a national level including expanding tax deductions and liability protections for businesses and institutions that donate food. Massachusetts, which implemented a commercial organics waste ban in…
The MetroWest Daily News published an article about the Food Donation Guidance recently posted to the RecyclingWorks website. RecyclingWorks is a program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to help business create or expand recycling, composting, and other waste diversion strategies. Since the MassDEP established the Commercial Organics Waste Ban in 2014,…
A recent article on the Sustainable City Network website features three large institutions that have implemented food waste diversion programs. The article describes the logistics and challenges that each institution had to address to collect food waste on a large scale. One of the featured institutions is Boston University, which diverts food waste from both their…
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…
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…
November 17, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lorenzo Macaluso, Director of RecyclingWorks MA (Primary) 413.218.1543 | Lorenzo.Macaluso@cetonline.org Joshua Cook, Green Business Specialist (Secondary) 617.292.5619 | Joshua.Cook@state.ma.us RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts Announces Food Donation Web Page [BOSTON] The Holidays are a time when many people take action to donate food to various food rescue organizations. Businesses and…
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…
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…
The Barnstable Patriot reported on a recent food waste workshop for Cape Code health officials, waste haulers, composters, businesses, and institutions. The session, led by RecyclingWorks staff Heather Billings, focused on strategies for navigating the Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban. The ban, which applies to businesses that generate one ton or more of food waste…
