Recycling Food and Organics Residuals



The information on this page is tailored to Massachusetts businesses and institutions only. Municipalities and private residents should view the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) Web page for Composting: http://www.state.ma.us/dep/consumer/compost.htm
Page Contents: What is Considered Food and Organic Residuals? Massachusetts Laws and Regulations Benefits of a Food Residuals Diversion Recycling/Recovery Options Tips for a Food Residuals Diversion Program Food Donation Information Food Residuals Haulers/Feeders/Renderers Listing Facts & Figures Associated Links
What is Considered Food and Organic Residuals? Food residuals are defined as: source separated residuals produced from food preparation and consumption activities at homes, restaurants, commercial businesses and institutions, which consist of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish and animal by-products, and soiled paper unsuitable for recycling. Examples of food residuals that can be composted are: leftovers, bread products, outdated/expired foods, produce and vegetables, meat and fish scraps, plate scrapings, coffee grounds, soups, paper products such as napkins and wax corrugated cardboard, and wood chips and shavings. Major generators of food and organic materials include: restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, produce centers, food processors, school and business cafeterias, hospitals, prisons, farmers, and community events. BACK TO THE TOP
Massachusetts Laws and Regulations There are no current bans on food residuals. However, the DEP has proposed, in the Beyond 2000 Master Plan, banning this material from landfills by 2010 beginning with a waste ban for the commercial sector. Leaves and yard waste are currently banned from Massachusetts landfills. Farmers are conditionally exempt to compost food residuals when registered with the Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA), and may feed food residuals to animals with a permit from the DFA. DEP has two sets of Regulations addressing composting of food and other organic materials: 1. 310 CMR 16.00; Site Assignment Regulations for Solid Waste Facilities. Siting criteria and conditional exemptions for composting facilities. 2. 310 CMR 19.00; Regulations for design, construction, and operation of all solid waste facilities (compost facilities). Visit the MA Department of Environmental Protection’s Web page for the document outlining the rules and regulations pertaining to the site assignment regulation of any composting facility: www.state.ma.us/dep/bwp/dswm/files/310cmr16.htm The document outlining leaves and yard waste ban: www.state.ma.us/dep/bwp/dswm/files/310cmr19.017.htm BACK TO THE TOP
What are the Benefits of Food Waste Diversion? Recycling or reusing will: · Avoid Trash Collection and Disposal Fees: The price per ton to divert food and organic waste to a composting facility is usually much less than it is for conventional trash disposal in landfills or incinerators. For example, through composting, Slade Gorton & Co. Inc., owner of a fish and market in the South End of Boston, saves an average of $50 per ton on fees imposed at the landfill by diverting their fish by-product to composting. The company has also saved money by reducing the removal of trash by 30%. With high recovery rates, an organization can have its regular trash dumpsters picked up less frequently, or use smaller dumpsters at the same pick-up frequency. · Improve Your Business’ Public Image: By letting customers and colleagues know that your business is making an effort to recycle and provide for a sustainable future, you will increase customer satisfaction and confidence in your business. For example, customers at Peet’s Coffee in Newton are proud to support an establishment with a strong recycling and composting program. · Provide Food to those in Need: By donating unused food, a business not only helps to keep reusable material out of landfills and incinerators, but can also help feed those in need of assistance. For example the Greater Boston Food Bank annually distributes 13 million pounds of food to needy people, a total wholesale value of over $16 million. The food is distributed to a network of more than 900 member-feeding programs (including soup kitchens, food pantries and homeless shelters) throughout the nine counties in eastern Massachusetts · Recover the Nutrient Value of the Food as Compost or Animal Food: The food and organic waste diverting to composting eventually produces humus or compost, which is a valuable addition to any horticultural or landscaping project. For example at Harvard University, compost made from landscape trimmings and cafeteria food scraps helps to produce the rich organic matter used on the campus landscaping. “Closing the loop” can also save money by giving an organization access to cheap soil amendments. · Help Your Community Meet Local and State Waste Reduction Goals: Composting will help the State of Massachusetts meet its 70% waste reduction goal set by the Solid Waste Master Plan for 2010. For example the Stop and Shop Stores in Cape Cod, Massachusetts have started diverting their food waste to composting as an important way to meet corporate environmental goals as well as state recycling goals. · Sustain Local Industries and Jobs: Food discard generators typically do not need to hire new employees to manage food recovery programs. However, by recovering food discards for end users, they can help sustain local industries and jobs. Composting facilities, for example, employ four times more people on a per-ton basis than landfills. BACK TO THE TOP
Recycling and Recovery Options: Your choice of recovery methods will depend on many factors. These include the quantity and type of food discards, availability of space for on-site recovery, existence of haulers and/or end users for off-site recovery, and program costs. Food discard recovery methods include making donations, processing this waste into animal feed, rendering, and composting. Off-site methods involve food discard generators, haulers, and end users. The state of Massachusetts encourages businesses to address the diversion options for their food waste in the following order: 1. Food Donations - Non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food can be donated to local food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters. Local and national programs frequently offer free pick-up and provide reusable containers to donors. Because these donations recycle food and help feed people in need of assistance, this option should be considered before looking at other alternatives. For a list of food banks in Massachusetts, click here. Smaller food collection organizations also appropriate. For a list of contact information and needs of small food collection organizations in the greater Boston area, click here. In other parts of Massachusetts, check your Yellow Pages under “Food Pantries” or “Shelters.” 2. Source Reduction - Source reduction, including reuse, can help reduce waste disposal and handling costs, because it avoids the costs of recycling, municipal composting, landfilling, and combustion. Source reduction also conserves resources and reduces pollution, including greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. By doing a careful audit of the waste stream a business can determine the percentage of food and organic wastes that are present in their trash. Once the potential for waste reduction is established a business can reduce the quantity of food they buy, purchase pre-cut foods, or explore the possibilities of portion control at restaurants. For more information on different source reduction strategies go to the "Related Links" portion of this Web site. 3. Animal Feed - Recovering food discards as animal feed is not new. In many areas hog farmers have traditionally relied on food discards to feed their livestock. Farmers may provide storage containers and free or low-cost pick-up service. Coffee grounds and foods with high salt content are not usually accepted, because they can be harmful to livestock. At least one company is using technology to convert food discards into a high-quality, dry, pelletized animal feed. Food discards are also used to make pet food. For a list of licensed food residual feeders in Massachusetts, click here. 4. Rendering - Liquid fats and solid meat products can be used as raw materials in the rendering industry, which converts them into animal food, cosmetics, soap, and other products. Many companies will provide storage barrels and free pick-up service. For a list of Greater Boston area grease collectors click here. In other parts of Massachusetts, check your Yellow Pages for “Rendering” or “Grease Trap.” 5. Composting - - Composting can be done both on-and off-site. The availability of land space, haulers, and/or end users in your area will help you decide which option is best for you. For a list of waste haulers who are willing to take food discards and other compostables, click here. If you compost on-site, you will need to consider feed stocks, siting, and operational issues.
	Composting can take many forms: a) Unaerated Static Pile Composting: Organic discards are piled and mixed with a bulking material. This method is best suited for small operations; it cannot accommodate meat or grease b) Aerated Windrow/Pile Composting: Organics are formed into rows or long piles and aerated either passively or mechanically. This method can accommodate large quantities of organics. It cannot accommodate large amounts of meat or grease. c) In-vessel Composting: Composting that occurs in a vessel or enclosed in a building that has temperature and moisture controlled systems. They come in a variety of sizes and have some type of mechanical mixing or aerating system. In-vessel composting can process larger quantities in a relatively small area more quickly than windrow composting and can accommodate animal products. d) Vermicomposting: Worms (usually red worms) break down organic materials into a high-value compost (worm castings). This method is faster than windrow or in-vessel composting and produces high-quality compost. Animal products or grease cannot be composted using this method.
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Tips for a Food Residuals Diversion Program: Consult with local and state recycling coordinators at the town Department of Public Works or the DEP; also consult WasteCap of Massachusetts recycling coordinators. These solid waste planners may help locate a market for food discards or provide technical advice. Some agencies award grant money for innovative projects. Ask the solid waste planners listed above to provide you with contacts and information about businesses with successful food recovery programs. By networking with other businesses you will be able to learn from their experiences. These organizations can also provide assistance in finding haulers and end users in your area Anticipate barriers to a successful program and how you will overcome them. Learn from others. Ask employees what potential problems they see. They, after all, will be responsible for running the program Train food service workers well, and well ahead of program implementation. Monitor and periodically re-evaluate your program. Use composting diversion to reduce your waste hauling and tipping costs. Be creative.
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Food Donation Information For a listing of organizations that take food donations visit WasteCap's "Food Donation Options" (www.wastecap.org/wastecap/Commodities/Organics/Food_donations.htm) BACK TO THE TOP
Food Residuals Haulers/Feeders/Renderers Listing: Food and Organic Residuals Haulers Listing A list of haulers will accept food residuals for composting or animal feed. Some will also take yard waste and other compostables. Licensed Composting Facilities in Eastern Massachusetts A list of farms and composting facilities approved by the Department of Environmental Protection to process food and other organic wastes. Licensed Food Residuals Feeders Listing A list of food residual feeders that have obtained a permit from the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture to collect food residuals, cook it, and feed it to their livestock. Rendering Haulers Listing A list of haulers that will pick up grease and animal processing by-products, and sell it to rendering plants to make tallow for soap-making. BACK TO THE TOP
Facts & Figures:
Massachusetts incinerates 43% of its waste, landfills 19%, and recycles the remaining 38%. A 70% waste reduction goal was set by the DEP in the latest Solid Waste Master Plan. Food waste makes up 10% of all Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Yard waste, leaves, wood, food, paper, and paperboard, all of which is compostable, makes up 70% of municipal solid waste. Only 5%-10% of organic waste is composted. South Carolina leads the nation in composting with a rate of 14%. The Greater Boston Food Bank annually distributes 13 million pounds of food, for a total wholesale value of over $16 million. The food is distributed to a network of more than 900 member-feeding programs (including soup kitchens, food pantries and homeless shelters) throughout the nine counties in Eastern Massachusetts that provide 465,000 meals each month. In the U.S., slaughterhouses, packing plants, supermarkets, butcher shops and restaurants collectively generate an average of over 40,000 tons of animal by-products each week, on average. Almost any business can successfully create fewer organic discards careful purchasing practices, and can divert food discards from landfills. Businesses with record-setting food diversion programs are recovering 50% to 100% of their food discards and reducing their overall solid waste by 33% to 85%.
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Associated Links: Composting: www.cetonline.org/Publications/publications.htm This Web site contains publications about composting projects that the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) has undertaken in Western Massachusetts. The publications under Composting – Farm and Commercial Scale offer advice and case studies for setting up a successful food discards collection program. www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/compost/index.htm This Web site contains publications about composting and the more technical aspects of the process. Information on the uses of compost and the importance of it in horticultural projects is also available. www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/food/food.htm This Web page, located on the EPA Web site also contains case studies of projects from a wide variety of industries throughout the country on their successful food discard diversion programs. www.epa.gov/region09/waste/solid/compost.pdf This document published by the EPA has useful information on the value of recycling food waste and wood scraps. It contains many useful tips and presents the benefits of different forms of food waste diversion. www.cfe.cornell.edu/compost/Composting_homepage.html This Web site provides access to a variety of composting educational materials and programs developed at Cornell University. www.jgpress.com/ This is the Web site for Biocycle magazine. Biocycle has the most current information on commercial and residential composting projects, technologies, and industry trends. Source Reduction: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/sourcred.htm This Web site was developed by the EPA and has useful information on source reduction, including different strategies, benefits, related publications, and associated links. www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/source.pdf This document published by the EPA has information on source reduction strategies for municipalities. It has useful general information for those interested in learning more about this waste reduction strategy. http://www.fpi.org/jahia/Jahia/pid/57 This Web site was published by the Food Service and Packaging Institute and contains information on reducing waste in the food industry. Most of the Web site is devoted to packaging, but the the ideas are still applicable to food and organic waste. Food Donations: www.gbfb.org/ This Web site provides information on donating food to the Greater Boston Food Bank and also some information about the organization and the importance of food recovery. www.volunteersolutions.org/chowk/volunteer/opp/one_101272.html The American Red Cross food pantry is the largest food pantry in the city of Boston. Provides individuals and families with a three-day supply of nutritious food. This Web site contains information about how to volunteer or make donations. More links to Food Pantries in Eastern Massachusetts and Food Banks throughout Massachusetts are located on WasteCap's "Food Donation Options" Web page. (www.wastecap.org/wastecap/Commodities/Organics/Food_donations.htm) BACK TO THE TOP