Climate Week, one of the largest annual global climate events, just took place in New York City. Reducing food loss and waste was highlighted over the course of the week as one of the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. And, the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, September 29th, which aims to raise awareness and spur action on these issues, coincided with it.
We have a small window of opportunity to take actions that will result in measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Diverting food waste from landfills and incineration is a concrete action that delivers immediate results. In New Jersey, a food waste ban became law in 2020, which intends to incentivize large food waste generators to divert food waste and help New Jersey reach the greenhouse gas emissions targets outlined in the 2020 New Jersey Global Warming Response Act 80x50 Report.
The law provides a framework for action, but we need to make progress on the details of planning and execution. Multiple states have implemented bans on commercial food waste, but Massachusetts stands out as a success due to its strong enabling environment. The state amended their 2014 law to lower the threshold requirement for food waste generators to divert to half a ton per week. To make it feasible operationally and economical for food waste generators to comply with the law, Massachusetts developed an extensive network of composting facilities, along with an effective enforcement system.
The establishment of a network of composting facilities in New Jersey is critical to support implementation of the state’s food waste law. Food waste generators need options that are cost effective and easy to integrate into their operations. At Vivaria, we are planning composting infrastructure to serve the state of New Jersey for the long-term, bringing an efficient solution for food waste recycling that also creates nutrient rich compost to build healthy soils.