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…
