There is an array of options available to your organization for reducing food waste and diverting it from disposal. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts can help you take the next step in starting or improving an organics diversion program. Follow these links to learn how you can:

• Estimate How Much Food Waste You Generate
• Reduce the Volume of Your Food Waste
• Adopt Food Waste Best Management Practices
• Donate Unused Food to People Through Food Banks, Soup Kitchens & Shelters
• Find Haulers & Processing Facilities to Recycle or Compost Your Food Waste

There are also a number of on-site and off-site options for processing food wastes. These include composting, dehydration, pulping, anaerobic digestion, rendering for fats and oils, and use as feed for farm animals.

Food Waste Generators in Massachusetts  file size 1MB file size 1MB
2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data update of a 2002 study commissioned by MassDEP that identified major generators of food waste in Massachusetts, including food processors, wholesalers, grocery stores, institutional food service providers and large restaurants.

Massachusetts Food Waste Generator Map  file size 1MB
Shows the geographic distribution of the large food waste generators identified in the report above.

List of Massachusetts Sites Accepting Diverted Food Waste Material, September 2014 
These facilities can help businesses and institutions comply with the ban on disposal of commercial organics by accepting their food wastes. 

Map Showing Massachusetts Sites Accepting Diverted Food Waste Material, September 2014 
Shows the geographic distribution of the sites listed above.

Cambridge Commercial Food Materials Composting Program
The city used a MassDEP grant to launch this program in 2006. Working with a vendor, Save That Stuff, the public works department offers food waste recycling services to local business for no more than the cost or trash disposal, and sometimes less. Participants include institutional cafeterias and food service providers, restaurants, supermarkets and more.

Food is Not Trash: Redefining Wellesley's Waste Culture by Composting  file size 3MB
Report prepared by Wellesley College Environmental Studies students in Spring 2013.

 

310 CMR 19.000: Final Commercial Organic Material Waste Ban Amendments, January 2014 
These regulations ban disposal of food and other organic wastes from businesses and institutions that dispose of more than one ton of these materials per week.

Commercial Organic Materials Waste Ban Guidance for Businesses, Institutions & Haulers, June 2014 
Compliance information for businesses and institutions that dispose of one ton or more of organic material per week, and their waste management providers.

Waste Ban Guidance for Operators of Solid Waste Facilities, April 2014 
Includes updated information on compliance with the commercial food waste disposal ban.

Reducing Food Waste: A How to Guide for Businesses & Institutions, June 2013 
Simple steps your organization can take to reduce food waste and save money.

Trimming the Fat: Cutting Costs by Reducing Food Waste
Practical tips for restaurants, supermarkets, commercial food processors and other organizations.

Massachusetts Organics Action Plan, January 2014 
Outlines initiatives for diverting at least 35 percent of all food waste from disposal statewide by 2020. 

Summary Analysis: Massachusetts Commercial / Institutional Food Waste Generation Data 
2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) update of a 2002 study commissioned by MassDEP.

Study: Identification, Characterization & Mapping of Food Waste & Food Waste Generators in Massachusetts, September 2002 
Report on the original Draper/Lennon Inc. study, performed for MassDEP.

Report: On-Site Systems for Processing Food Waste, April 2013  file size 1MB file size 1MB
Extensive report submitted to MassDEP by Northeastern University students.

Food Waste Composting Fact Sheet, January 2014 
Provides information on how much food waste is generated and diverted from disposal in Massachusetts, what the state is doing to promote food waste composting, what MassDEP permits and approvals are needed by composting facilities, and how to learn more.

Massachusetts Waste Disposal Bans
Commercial food waste is one of a number of easy-to-recycle materials that are banned from disposal in the state's combustion facilities and landfills.

Anaerobic Digestion & Organics Diversion
In an oxygen-free environment, bacteria can convert organic materials into renewable biogas. Through the Clean Energy Results Program, MassDEP is working with the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to promote the diversion of organic material from landfills and combustion facilities to anaerobic digesters.

Supermarket Recycling in Massachusetts
Recycling and composting organics and other waste materials is good for both the environment and a grocery store's bottom line.