Food Waste in America; Source: Wiki Commons

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 law has brought focus to the food waste problem and motivated food establishments to find creative solutions to reducing waste.

Our Initiatives:

Increasing food waste composting – Green Needham is collaborating 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. Food Waste Survey Green Needham members developed an online food waste survey to collect information on how food waste is currently being handled by local food establishments. Businesses and institutions are still encouraged to fill out the survey.

What You Can Do:

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.

Resources

Documents
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
WasteWise Wellesley
Town of Wellesley’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Working Group's information on food waste reduction projects.
Accomplishments
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