Model PAYT Ordinance Helps Cities Reduce Trash and Increase Recycling
Compost Waste Recycle
Linda Breggin
Jessica Sugarman
Darby Hoover
Wednesday, November 29, 2023

NRDC and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) recently released a Model Ordinance Establishing a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Program for Residential Municipal Solid Waste that can help municipalities reduce the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) sent to landfills and incinerators and, at the same time, institute more transparent, efficient, and fair pricing for residential waste management. 

Model Executive Order Helps Cities Lead by Example to Reduce Food Waste 
Bell Peppers
Linda Breggin
Jessica Sugarman
Darby Hoover
Friday, June 2, 2023

A new Model Executive Order on Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction developed by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) can help municipalities reduce the amount of food wasted throughout municipal operations, highlight the importance of reducing food waste, and demonstrate food waste reduction measures that businesses and o

Model Reporting Ordinance for Food Waste Generators
Fruits and vegetables
Linda Breggin
Darby Hoover
Jessica Sugarman
Thursday, July 21, 2022

A new model ordinance on mandatory reporting for large food waste generators, developed by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and NRDC, could make it easier for municipalities around the country to collect data on food waste and surplus food generation, increase awareness of the problem of food waste, and ultimately lead to reductions of disposal of food waste in landfills and incinerators.

New Model Policy Bolsters Compost Use and Infrastructure
Compost
Akielly Hu
Linda Breggin
Jessica Sugarman
Darby Hoover
Wednesday, September 1, 2021

A new model compost procurement policy developed by the Environmental Law Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council could help municipalities around the country in their efforts to divert food scraps and other organic materials from their landfills and incinerators and, in so doing, realize myriad economic and environmental benefits.

Co-Digestion of Food Waste: A Triple Greenhouse Gas Solution
Aerial iew of co-digesters
Carol Adaire Jones
Thursday, April 1, 2021

An estimated 35% of food that is produced is uneaten, with losses occurring along the supply chain from farms to consumers. The majority from non-industrial sources ends up decomposing in landfills, where it releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). Recycling food waste through anaerobic digestion (AD), in which bacteria break down organic material in the absence of oxygen and create biogas, can create a triple-win for GHG mitigation.

Congressional Conference on the Farm Bill: What is at Stake for Food Waste?
Capitol Building
Ian Hardman
Carol Adaire Jones
Monday, August 13, 2018

With the U.S. Senate voting on July 31 to join the House of Representatives in conference on their respective Farm Bills, the two houses face major challenges to resolve the wide gaps in many elements. Reauthorized every 5 years or so, the Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that affects all facets of the American food supply.

Paper or Bio-Plastic? Innovative Packaging to Prevent Food Loss
Innovations in food packaging create opportunities to reduce food loss (Pixabay)
Lauren Petersil
Monday, April 9, 2018

It’s well known that up to 40% of food in the United States goes to waste. As a result, a large portion of the blue water utilized in agricultural irrigation ends up back in the ground—not in aquifers, but in landfills. While the majority of food waste in the United States is attributable to the disposal of safe, edible foods, a considerable amount of food that goes to landfill is “lost” due to spoilage or food being otherwise deemed unfit for human use.

Analyzing the Food Rescue Landscape in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee (Wikimedia Commons)
Emmett McKinney
JoAnne Berkenkamp
Linda Breggin
Monday, November 20, 2017

Some say leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving. While that may be true, the rest of the year, there are ample missed opportunities to donate surplus prepared foods from institutions and restaurants. Realizing these opportunities is an important way to waste less food and feed more people, because up to 40% of food (along with the water, energy, and land used in production) goes to waste every year in the United States. At the same time, over 13% of Americans—one in eight—experience food insecurity.

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