New Policy Guides Help Municipalities Combat Food Waste Through Data Collection
July 2022
NEW YORK, NY – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) have published model ordinances–a set of policy templates and guides–designed to support local legislators in their efforts to reduce and prevent food waste.
Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators: Background Memorandum
Date Released
July 2022
Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted—and 95 percent is disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Diverting food waste from landfills by preventing food waste, donating surplus food, and recycling food scraps can help municipalities achieve waste reduction and climate mitigation goals. However, many municipalities do not have data on the food wasted in their jurisdictions. Requiring organizations and companies that produce large amounts of food waste to report their waste is an important first step in reducing that waste.
Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators With Commentaries
Date Released
July 2022
Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted—and 95 percent is disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Diverting food waste from landfills by preventing food waste, donating surplus food, and recycling food scraps can help municipalities achieve waste reduction and climate mitigation goals. However, many municipalities do not have data on the food wasted in their jurisdictions. Requiring organizations and companies that produce large amounts of food waste to report their waste is an important first step in reducing that waste.
Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators Without Commentaries
Date Released
July 2022
Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted—and 95 percent is disposed of in landfills or incinerated. Diverting food waste from landfills by preventing food waste, donating surplus food, and recycling food scraps can help municipalities achieve waste reduction and climate mitigation goals. However, many municipalities do not have data on the food wasted in their jurisdictions. Requiring organizations and companies that produce large amounts of food waste to report their waste is an important first step in reducing that waste.
New Model Policy Bolsters Compost Use and Infrastructure
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.
New Toolkit Helps Cities Address Climate Change & Food Waste Simultaneously
August 2021
(Washington, D.C.): Throughout the United States, our towns and cities are on the front lines when it comes to addressing food waste and climate change. Recognizing the link between these two challenges, the Environmental Law Institute has released a new report that will help towns and cities address these challenges simultaneously—in their climate action plans.
Seven Areas for Taking Action to Reduce Food Waste
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Food waste is a systemwide problem, affecting all stages of the supply chain. Therefore, solving it will take a systemwide approach. A new report by ReFED, Roadmap to 2030: Reducing U.S. Food Waste by 50%, was designed to provide food businesses, governments, funders, and more with a framework to align their food waste reduction efforts.
Co-Digestion of Food Waste: A Triple Greenhouse Gas Solution
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.