Research Reports

Local governments are involved with collecting and managing waste, permitting and regulating food service businesses, and addressing food insecurity among residents. Accordingly, food waste and surplus food generation data can help inform municipal food waste reduction efforts.

Adopting a compost procurement policy can benefit local suppliers, help develop new compost processing businesses, and reduce irrigation and fertilizer costs. The NRDC/ELI Model Resolution to Encourage Municipal Procurement and Use of Compost can be adopted by municipal legislative bodies as a first step toward purchasing finished compost products when appropriate for use in public projects such as landscaping, construction, and stormwater management—provided it is not cost-prohibitive to acquire.

Pay-As-You-Throw Programs (PAYT) programs establish a system in which households are charged based on the amount of trash they dispose of—and are charged at a higher rate for trash than for recyclables and compostables—rather than paying a flat fee for unlimited trash disposal.

Composting provides many environmental, economic, and social benefits. Community composting is designed to meet local needs, serve local interests, and engage the community. Unfortunately, municipal zoning codes can present unintended barriers for community composters—for example, by treating composting facilities the same way as large waste facilities.

Even once a municipality has reduced zoning barriers (see the previous model resolution), community composters may still encounter regulatory barriers—such as nuisance determinations—at both the municipal and state levels that can hinder their ability to establish and sustain operations.