Zero Food Waste in the Trash:Workshop on

reducing/recovering food wasteMorning Session: The Big Picture

Sponsored by Muskie School of Public Service/USM

Take theFood Waste Quiz

http://ivaluefood.com/quiz.php

Food is for eating

Not wasting

Food waste is a worldwide problem

33% of all food produced in the world

is never consumed (United Nations)

40% of food

produced

in the U.S.

is wasted

Americans waste enough food every day to fill 90,000 seat football stadium

Food makes up 20% of landfill weight – the single largest

municipal waste source

Leftover food in landfills breaks down to produce methane - a gas with 25 times the global warming potential of carbon

dioxide

Wasted food produces 14% of our greenhouse gas in U.S.

Environmental impact of wasting food

(U.S. data)

Wasting food =Wasting resources

Each time food is wasted, all the resources that went into producing, processing, packaging and transporting that food are wasted too

Wasted: Huge amounts of chemicals, energy, water, fertilizer and land used to produce food never eaten and vast quantities of fuel used to process, refrigerate and transport food that is thrown away

Wasted food = Wasted resources & money

(U.S. data)

Throwing away one eggwastes 55 gallons ofwater

Wasted food = wasted money

(U.S. data)

The average U.S. family throws out

$130 to $230 worth of food/month

Social impact of wasting food

1 in 6 Americans lack a

secure supply of food while

we waste 40% of what

is produced

What’s happening in Maine

Food and other organics make

up 43% of Maine’s

residential waste, more than paper, plastic, glass and metal.

Only about 5% of organics are

composted

The practice of recovering food scraps and edible food that would otherwise go to

waste

Farms

Schools

Restaurants

Supermarkets

Households

What’s the solution?

Food Recovery

Taking action

Remove leftover food from landfills = the same impact on greenhouse gas emissions as taking 25% of all cars in America off the

road

Divert 15% of food currently going to waste = enough to cut the number of

food insecure Americans in half

Encourage institutions to purchase so-called “ugly” fruits & vegetables = help farmers find new markets for products

currently going to waste

EPA/USDAFood Waste Reduction Goal(2015)

Cut Food Waste

by 50% by 2030

Conserve our

nation's natural

resources

Improve overall

food security

EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy

State of MaineFood Recovery Hierarchy2015

§2101-B. Food recovery hierarchy

1. Priorities. It is the policy of the State to support the solid waste management hierarchy in section 2101 by preventing and diverting surplus food and food scraps from land disposal or incineration in accordance with the following order of priority:

A. Reduction of the volume of surplus food generated at the source; [2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW).]

B. Donation of surplus food to food banks, soup kitchens, shelters and other entities that will use surplus food to feed hungry people; [2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW).]

C. Diversion of food scraps for use as animal feed; [2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW).]

D. Utilization of waste oils for rendering and fuel conversion, utilization of food scraps for digestion to recover energy, other waste utilization technologies and creation of nutrient-rich soil amendments through the composting of food scraps; and [2015,c. 461, §1 (NEW).]

E. Land disposal or incineration of food scraps. [2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW).]

[ 2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW) .]

2. Guiding principle. It is the policy of the State to use the order of priority in this section, in conjunction with the order of priority in section 2101, as a guiding principle in making decisions related to solid waste and organic materials management.

[ 2015, c. 461, §1 (NEW) .]

Where is food wasted?

Food waste generators:

Schools

School cafeterias serve30.5 million lunches every single day,on average

School food waste estimated at $1.2 billion of food each year

The challenge: Feed students healthy, great tasting food that meets USDA guidelines

Why food gets wasted:

Short lunch shift

Eating lunch before recess

Eating lunch before usual lunch hour

“Every day, we’re teaching kids that food

is trash.”

-Jonathan Bloom

creator of website,

Wasted Food

Food waste generators:

Restaurants

60-80% of garbage produced by restaurants is food waste

Strategies toreduce food waste

Purchase only what will be served in a day or two.

Purchase seconds from farmers for dishes where produce’s shape or color not integral to quality of dish

Shrink size of take-out container. Restaurants that shrink the size of take-out container discover more food goes home. Customers like smaller containers -

Cut back on number of menu choices

Reduce portion size on dishes that routinely come back from table with leftovers

Creative use of pre-consumer leftovers, like garlic, potato and onion peels for stock

Nose-to-tail and root-to-stem recipes/dining

Donate surplus food to food bank

What happens to unused food at U.S. restaurants

(Food Waste Reduction Alliance, 2014)

84.3% thrown

out

14.3% recycled

1.4% donated

Tracking food wasteto reduce food waste:Winnow Technology

How itworks

Equipped with simple touch screen connected to waste bins that weigh each item.

Staff log everything they throw away – where it comes from (peelings or leftovers), the food type (vegetable), and the specific product (onion)

Winnow’s smart meters identify what foods are being thrown away to help restaurants track where most waste is produced and helpt to identify patterns of waste, thus reducing food waste and increasing profit margins

“The way we buy and cook food is so responsible. But the way we discard food? It’s not.”

-Alex Raij, NYC chef

and restaurant owner,

speaking about how farm-to-table restaurants should extend

their sustainable philosophy toward food

to their garbage

Food waste generators:

Transportation and Distribution Networks

Why perishable food is vulnerable to lossduring transport &distribution

Inconsistent refrigeration

Waiting too long at loading docks

Rejection of perishable food shipments If no other buyer is found, shipment thrown

out

If shipment makes it to market, may have shorter shelf life

May be difficult to find place to accept donated shipment if quantity is large

Food waste generators:

Supermarkets

Our foodshoppinghabit

“We buy our food based on how it looks and how it’s packaged, not the calories we can get from it. We shop with our eyes. That’s why produce is first in the door.”

Mark Lapping

Distinguished University Professor Emeritus

University of Southern Maine

Causes of food waste

Overstocked displays

Expectation of cosmetic perfection

Oversized packages

Loss in perishables atsupermarkets

Fruits & Vegetables

Baked goods

Meat

Seafood

Prepared meals

Food waste generators:

Farms

Why there iswaste on a farm

Farmers plant more than needed to hedge against pests and weather

May not be able to harvest food:

1) damage from pests

2) weather and/or disease or

3) lack of available labor

Cost of transportation and labor greater than the market price of produce

Food waste generators:

Households

Households at the top of the list

An average family of 4 wastes about 25% of the food they buy

Fresh fruits and

vegetables

DairyMeat

Seafood

Causes of household food waste

Food spoilageOver-

preparing

Date label confusion

Overbuying

Not enough meal planning

Date Label Confusion:

“Sell by”“Best if used by”“Expires on”

Product dating not required by Federal regulations.

The only exception: infant formula

FDA does not require food firms to place "expired by", "use by" or "best before" dates on food products.

This information provided entirely at discretion of manufacturer and serves as manufacturer’s suggestions for peak quality (USDA).

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-

product-dating/food-product-dating

Taking legislative action to keep food waste out of the trash

Organic Waste Bans and Universal Recycling Lawsin New England

Vermont – 2012 universal recycling law includes ban on organic waste in landfills to be phased in gradually, starting with companies that generate large amount of food waste. By 2020, Vermont’s law will cover anyone who generates any amount of food waste, including residents. In contrast, the three other New England states’ bans cover only certain commercial, industrial and institutional entities, with variation among them.

Businesses can donate anything salvageable to groups serving meals to the needy. Impact of the law: Vermont Food Bank saw food donations increase by 60 percent the following year.

Massachusetts – 2014 organic waste ban prohibits businesses and institutions generating 1 ton or more of food waste weekly ― such as grocery stores, hospitals, colleges, breweries and larger restaurants ― from throwing food in the trash.

Connecticut – 2014 organic waste recycling mandate for certain organic materials. The mandate requires generators to source-separate organic materials for composting on-site using permitted equipment or through authorized composting facility.

Rhode Island – 2014 organic waste ban prohibits food waste in landfills and promotes recycling of food residuals via composting and anaerobic digestion.

RecentProposed Maine Legislation:

LD 1578(2016)

Would have required producers that generate 1 ton or more of food scraps to divert that material from landfills.

Target producers: grocery stores, retailers, restaurants, hotels, event and conference centers and schools within 20 miles of a compost facility.

Recent Proposed Maine Legislation:

LD 1534(2017)

LD 1534- An Act To Address Hunger, Support Maine Farms and Reduce Waste

(Status: Carried over to the next session of 128th Maine Legislature)

Creates the Maine food producers donation tax credit. The tax credit program allows food producers to apply for a tax credit equal to 50% of the fair market value of the donated food when they donate such food to a nonprofit food assistance organization or school.

Provides immunity from civil liability in regards to injury, illness or death due to the condition of the donated food for a charitable or nonprofit organization and its employees who distribute food without charge or at less than fair market value. The immunity also applies to a hospital or health care facility or eating establishment that donates food.

Creates the Maine Food Recovery Commission. The commission must review and evaluate the economic, environmental and human costs of food waste in Maine and assess current systems of food production, distribution and waste to determine where and how food is wasted in a manner inconsistent with Maine's food recovery hierarchy as well as develop a strategy to address any inconsistencies with the food recovery hierarchy.

RecentProposed Federal Legislation

• HR 4184, The Food Recovery Act (2015) aims to reduce the amount of edible food sent to landfills.

(Rep. Chellie Pingree, ME)

• HR 5298, The Food Date Labeling Act (2016) aims to make food date labels more consistent and less confusing, so less food is needlessly thrown out.

(Rep. Chellie Pingree, ME)

Food waste and 2018 Farm Bill

Largest piece of food and agriculture-related legislation in the United States

Up for passage every five years

Provides opportunity to address food waste on a national scale

Zero Food Waste in the Trash:Reducing/recovering food waste

workshopMorning Session: Recovering

food scraps

Sponsored by Muskie School of Public Service/USM

Collecting Food Scraps for Composting and Digesting

EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy:

Composting(and anaerobicdigestion)

Set up sorting stations or buckets and bins

Benefitsand Impact

Number and weight of trash

bags drop

Potential for saving money

on hauling costs

Opportunities to invest cost savings

in other sustainable

practices

Promote sustainable practices to

community and customers

Leftover food becomes compost

not trash

Investigate technology

Set up Bins & Signs

Provide training

Collect Baseline

Data

Planning Strategy

Training & Monitoring

Leadership

Community Support

Set Goals

Identify & Solve Problems

Service Learning

Bins and Signs

Share Results

No contamination

from plasticCollect Data

Separating out food waste in restaurants

Food recovery in restaurants

Signs front and back of the house

Staff Training

Sit-down restaurants vs Bus-

your-own-table cafes

Bins close at hand

Householdapproach

Sorting stationsinschool cafeteria

Buckets & bins in school cafeteria sorting station

Adapt bucket and bin colors to meet your school’s needs.

1) Liquids: 5-gal. plastic bucket

2) Recyclables: Recycling Tote with liner OR Metal folding frame and clear bag

3) Redeemable cans/bottles (optional): Barrel container with hole cut in top

4) Trash: Barrel with liner

5) Food Scraps: 10-gal. Bucket with liner

6) Bin for Stacking Trays

Give “visual cues” for sorting:Use same color buckets, bins and signs every day

Good Idea: Use clear bags for recyclables to providevisual cuefor sorting

It’s all about the signs

Good Idea:Remove all trash barrels from area except for trash barrel in Sorting Station

High-tech approach

Low-techapproach

Rolling platforms to move bins quickly in and out of multi-purpose cafeterias

Another example

Barriers to collecting food wastein afast-paced environment

Concern about odor

Not enough storage for

collected food scraps

Worry about vermin/fruit

flies

Not enough room for bins

in kitchen

Worries About Odor

Increase number of pick-ups per week.

Keep containers rinsed out. Use liners as needed.

Keep lids closed on all bins when not in use and keep bins out of sun prior to collection.

Remove Food Waste Bin from cafeteria after every meal and empty contents into a larger Food Waste Tote. Store Tote until pick-up.

Place newspaper on top of each new layer of food waste in Food Waste Tote.

Empty Liquids Bucket after every meal.

Bag up recycling after each meal and move to storage area until pick-up.

It’s All About the Data

Why it’s useful to collect databefore and after

Data help you to tell your story:

To track progress

Set goals

Identify areas for improvement

To share with your community and your customers

To support a review of hauling contracts

Grant applications

Tracking food waste in the cafeteria

The Economics ofHauling

Hauling trash costs money

No food waste in the dumpster =

Opportunity to trim costs from hauling budget

Potential for cost savings

Savings depend on existing contract language for trash hauling:

If contract is based on weight, potential for cost savings once organics are removed from the trash bags.

Why? Because trash will weigh less

If contract based on frequency: As program improves, potential to renegotiate number of trash pick-ups during the week.

Why? Because less trash in the dumpster

Fees forhauling organicstocompostingfacility

In Maine, fees for hauling organics to composting/digestion facility generally competitive with trash hauling fees

Chart for comparing tipping and hauling feeswith and without food scraps

Fee Recycling Organics Trash TOTAL

Municipal Hauling(based on weight or frequency)

Private Hauling (based on weight or frequency)

Tipping Fee/Tonat Landfill

Tipping Fee/Ton At Waste-to-Energy Facility

Tipping Fee/Ton At Recycling Facility

TOTAL

Opportunities to investcost savings insustainable practices

Reduce or eliminate use of Styrofoam trays, cups and/or bowls and replace with recyclable/compostable or reusable items

Swap out paper towels for electric hand dryers in bathrooms

What isComposting

Before

After

How does compostingwork?

Anything that was once alive can be composted

Bacteria: The powerhouse of a compost pile. Break down plant matter and create carbon dioxide and heat

Microbes, worms, snails, insects and fungi: Use oxygen to break down material in the pile

Optimumtemperature inside compost pile:150 degrees

Anything that was once alivecan be composted

Compost Recipe

Best composting ratio: 25 or 30 parts of carbon to one part of nitrogen in the compost bin.

Carbon rich “Browns” (dry): For example, shredded newspaper, dead leaves, egg shells, straw, hay, sawdust and wood chips

Nitrogen-rich “Greens” (wet): For example, food and vegetable waste, grass clippings, seaweed, coffee grounds

Keep the pile aerated by adding oxygen

The result: Nutrient-rich soil humus.

What is anaerobic digestion

It’s a biological process,like composting,but without the oxygen

Takes place in oxygen-free (and heated) container.

Naturally occurring microorganisms break down organic waste (food waste and manure)

The products:

Gas—mostly methane along with some carbon dioxide. After some treatment, the methane gas can be burned just like natural gas to generate electricity.

Fertilizer

Clean solids commonly used as bedding for cows or as soil supplement

Finding a facility near youthat accepts food scraps:

ME Dept. of EnvironmentalProtectionContacts

DEP Contact Region of State Covered

Phone Email

Carla J. Hopkins All regions 207-215-3314 carla.j.hopkins@maine.gov

Jay Duncan Northern Maine 207-592-2859 jay.b.duncan@maine.gov

Jim Pollock Central MaineWestern Maine

207-592-8343 jim.c.pollock@maine.gov

Roger Johnstone Eastern Maine 207-557-1173 roger.h.johnstone@maine.gov

Mike Clark Southern Maine 207-462-0788 michael.s.clark@maine.gov

Mark KingComposting and Organics Management

207-592-0455 mark.a.king@maine.gov

School Grants

Ecomaine School Recycling Grant

Receive up to $5,000 for your school

DEADLINE: October 31, 2017

Any schools serving ecomaine’s 57 member communities can apply for up to $5,000 each in School Recycling Grant funding. Many recent grants have focused on food waste reduction through funding of services like Garbage to Garden or construction projects involving building on-site compost bins to feed school gardens.

Find the application and grant contest rules online at ecomaine.org!

The specific link to the rules and application is here: http://www.ecomaine.org/tours-and-educational-outreach/2016-school-recycling-grants/

Equipment Sources for Sorting Stations and Serviceware

Recycle Away – Offers a selection of indoor recycling solutions, http://www.recycleaway.com/

ClearStream Recycling Systems, Inc. – Offers clear bags for recyclables, https://www.clearstreamrecycling.com/default.asp

Huhtamaki North America –Recyclable/compostable trays and other serviceware (office in Waterville, ME), http://www2.us.huhtamaki.com/waterville

State Organic Waste Bans and Waste Recycling Laws:

Vermont

Food Waste Generators Covered

Waste Production Threshold to be Covered

Distance Exemptions

Other

VermontVt. Stat. Ann. tit. 10, § 6605k( 2012 )

Any individual, partnership, company, corporation, association, unincorporated association, joint venture, trust, municipality, the State of Vermont or any agency, department, or subdivision of the State, federal agency, or any other legal or commercial entity.

2014: 104 tons/ year 2015: 52 tons/ year 2016: 26 tons/ year 2017: 18 tons/ year 2020: Food scraps banned from landfill completely

20 miles

State Organic Waste Bans and Waste Recycling Laws:

Massachusetts

Food Waste Generators Covered

Waste Production Threshold to be covered

Distance Exemptions

Other

Massachusetts310 Mass. Code Regs. 19.017( 2014)

Any individual, partnership, association, firm, company, corporation, department, agency, group, public body (including a city, town, district, county, authority, state, federal, or other governmental unit).

1 ton/week* *Generators are covered only for weeks during which they meet the threshold

None

State Organic Waste Bans and Waste Recycling Laws:

Connecticut

Food Waste Generators Covered

Waste Producti9on Threshold to be covered

Distance Exemptions

Other

ConnecticutConn. Gen. Stat. Ann. §22a-226e (2014)

Commercial food wholesaler or distributor, industrial food manufacturer or processor, supermarket, resort or conference center.

2014: 104 tons/year 2020: 52 tons/ year

20 miles

State Organic Waste Bans and Waste Recycling Laws:

Rhode Island

Food Waste Generators Covered

Waste Production Threshold to be Covered

Distance Exemptions

Other

Rhode IslandR.I. Gen. Laws Ann. § 23-18.9-17( 2016)

Commercial food wholesaler or distributor, industrial food manufacturer or processor, supermarket, resort or conference center, banquet hall, restaurant, religious institution, military installation, prison, corporation, hospital or other medical care institution, casino, and covered educational facility

2016: 104 tons/year 2018: 52 tons/ year for covered educational facilities

15 miles Waiver from the above requirements if the landfill tipping fee is less than the fee charged by an authorized composting or anaerobic digestion facility located within 15 miles of the business.

State Organic Waste Bans and Waste Recycling Laws:

California

Food Waste GeneratorsCvoered

WasteProduction Threshold to be covered

Distance Exemptions

Other

CaliforniaCal. Pub. Res. Code §42649.81(2016)

Any business, meaning a commercial or public entity such as a firm, partnership, corporation, or association organized as a for-profit or nonprofit entity. Multifamily residential dwellings are exempted.

2016: 8 cubic yards per week 2017: 4 cubic yards per week 2020: 2 cubic yards per week IF statewide organic waste disposal has not been reduced to 50% of the level in 2014.

None (but there are exemptions for rural jurisdictions)

Morning Session Panelists

Topic: Recovering food scraps for composting/digestion

Tania Ferrante - South Portland High School

Troy Moon - City of Portland Sustainability Coordinator

Becky Secrest - Environmental Planner, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments

Becky Shepherd - Owner, Wild Oats Bakery & Café

Katrina Venhuizen - ecomaine Environmental Educator

Guiding Questionsfor thePanel

1. What are your organization’s best practices to recover food waste (food scraps or edible food) –

2. What have been your organization’s successes in working to keep food waste out of the trash -

3. What have been the challenges and barriers

4. What is the future of food recovery in Maine –

And what needs to change to make this food recovery effort sustainable going forward –

5. What needs to be done to keep connecting the organizations in the state working on this initiative so that the result is expansion and coordination of programs, and duplication is avoided. For example, should the approach be state-wide, county or local -

6. What advice would you give Workshop participants on actions they can take to keep food waste (food scraps or edible food) out of the trash -

Saving the environment

One bucket of food scraps at a time