MA Regulations - Food Waste

Food Waste – Regulations in Massachusetts

Statewide ban on commercial and institutional on organics waste over 1 ton/week

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) introduced recently regulations on recycling to control the solid food waste.  A solid food waste ban started on January 2014 for any food-service operation that generates over one ton in organics waste per week – public schools, colleges & universities, hospitals, restaurants and other industries could be affected.   Fines for violating these regulations for the first time range from $860 - $1,725.  

The goal of this ban is, not only to recycle organics waste, but also to reduce it.   For more information on organics waste, please visit http://www.massrecycle.org.

Here are some facts on Food Waste mentioned by Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs: (http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/trimming-the-fat-cutting-costs-by-reducing-food-waste.html)

• Wasted foods generate over 800,000 tons of waste every year in Massachusetts.
• There could be a big savings to an entity by recycling organics.
• Possible tax deduction benefits for donating food to charitable organizations.
• Reduce the number of landfills in Massachusetts.

So, it’s time to get serious about managing organics waste; waste producers must implement their plans as soon as they can, rather than waiting for the last moment. 

The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported: "about one-third of all food produced worldwide, worth around US$1 trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems."  http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/food_waste_the_facts