Blogs

By Kate Worley Making the Business Case for Food Waste Recycling Food waste and loss is a topic that is now being recognized for its impacts economically, socially, and environmentally. For businesses that sell food products, after a focus on prevention, upcycling and donation, recycling should be the next step in responsibly managing wasted food….

By Kate Worley Composting is a controlled biological decomposition process in the presence of oxygen (aerobic) that produces a rich, dark, earthy soil amendment.¹ Organic inputs to the composting process can include yard wastes, food wastes, crop residues, manure, and biosolids, and a successful composting process requires the correct carbon to nitrogen balance of materials.¹…

The hospitality sector is a significant generator of food waste, and included within this sector are hotels, events, and food service, among others. It is estimated that customer-facing businesses, including foodservice, grocery retail, and others, make up approximately 20%, or 18 million tons, of surplus food in the U.S. annually. ¹ Of the surplus food…

By Kate Worley Addressing Food Waste at Colleges and Universities In the U.S., the 18 million students attending classes at 5,000 colleges and universities nationwide generate an estimated 20 million tons of food waste each year.¹´²´³ Many of these students live on campus, and even for those who don’t, eating the majority of their meals…

By Kate Worley U.S. EPA Releases New “Wasted Food Scale” In October 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new guide to managing food waste called the “Wasted Food Scale.” This replaces the “Food Recovery Hierarchy” released in the 1990s. Although many of the pathways to manage food are the same, the new Wasted…

By Kate Worley USDA and EPA Release the “National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics” On June 12, 2024, under the Biden-Harris administration, the USDA, EPA, and FDA released the “National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics.” ¹ The “National Strategy” presents a path to reduce food…