Food Waste

Over 40% of the food produced in the United States – and the energy, water and money used to produce it – is never used to feed someone – it is wasted somewhere between farm and table. Green Needham’s food waste project aims at the parts of that chain where we can make a difference:

• reducing waste,
• getting food to those in need,
• utilizing the remaining waste for uses such as compost or energy generation.

Effective October 1, 2014, all Massachusetts businesses and institutions disposing of over one ton of commercial organic material per week are required to divert that organic material from disposal as trash. This threshold was lowered to a half-ton per week on November 1, 2022.  This law has brought focus to the food waste problem and motivated food establishments to find creative solutions to reducing waste.

Our Initiatives:

• Reduce food waste at home
• Start composting your food waste at home
• Alternatives to Composting Your Food Waste at Home – bring to RTS or hire a composting company to collect your compost // add link
• Donate food to those in need at the Needham Community Council’s Food Pantry
• Explore ways that you can support food rescue/food justice programs
• Bring your restaurant leftovers home
• Ask restaurants you patronize how they handle their food waste
• Start composting your vegetable food scraps at home
• Bring the food scraps that you can not compost at home (meat, dairy, bones, etc.) to the Needham RTS’s food composting bins

Educational Programs

• Food Waste workshop. On June 7, 2016, Green Needham and RecyclingWorks presented a free workshop for food service businesses in Needham, Newton, Wellesley, and other neighboring communities interested in learning about diverting wasted food from the trash through food donation, composting, and other waste diversion strategies.
• Documentary Film. On April 10, 2016 Green Needham cosponsored a free film showing at First Parish in Needham, Unitarian Universalist. The award-winning 75-minute documentary about food waste, “Just Eat It,” was inspired by the book American Wasteland, by Wellesley High graduate Jonathan Bloom.
• “Too Good to Waste: Creative Solutions for Reducing Food Waste” was presented on October 22, 2015 at the Needham Library.  Joshua Cook, Green Business Specialist for the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection, and Greg Smith, the Superintendent of the Needham RTS, spoke about state and local actions to reduce food waste. Food waste reduction tips for households were provided. The program was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Needham.

Get Involved!

We can have a real and lasting impact on reducing food waste in Needham over the next one to two years, but we can’t do it without getting more people involved. Your energy and ideas can make a huge difference in how much we accomplish. If you’d like to help, or just want to know more, please reach out to Jay Delaune, Green Needham’s team leader for Food Waste and Recycling.

Accomplishments

Increasing food waste composting – In November, 2014, when the State implemented a food waste ban on institutions that generated one ton or more of food waste per week, Green Needham collaborated with local businesses, Needham Schools, the Town’s Recycling and Solid Waste Division and employee-owned cooperative CERO to enable more food service establishments implement food waste composting.  To help local businesses, Green Needham members developed an online food waste survey to collect information on how food waste is currently being handled by local food establishments.

Resources

Documents

• 11/2/22 Recycling & Solid Waste Forum – Agri-Cycle Presentation
• 3R Food Waste 12/08/15 event information
• Food Waste Educational and Informational Programs

Resources on the Web

	"Food Heros" - Boston-area organizations working on food rescue Living Green page on food rescue organizations
	EPA's food waste prevention tips Community food waste prevention toolkit. Check out ugly fruit and vege campaign
	Food Pantry at the Needham Community Council Help provide food for those in need by donating or volunteering at the Needham Community Council's food pantry
	Green Needham’s Reducing Food Waste program Green Needham’s 10/22/15 program, "Too Good to Waste: Creative Solutions to Reducing Food Waste"
	Love Hate Waste UK’s campaign to end food waste. Excellent tips.
	Lunch Skins - reusable lunch bags Some Lunchskins products are available at Container Store, Target, and Amazon
	RecyclingWorks Massachusetts RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse, and composting opportunities.
	Still Tasty - Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide Keep it or toss it? How long do specific foods last; storage tips for fridge and freezer.
	Sustainable America A project of Sustainable America. Check out their “Resources” link
	U.S. Food & Drug Administration Website on Food Waste U.S. Food & Drug Administration Website on Food Waste
	WasteWise Wellesley Town of Wellesley’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Working Group's information on food waste reduction projects.