{"id":19032,"date":"2016-06-01T20:08:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T00:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/?post_type=article&p=19032"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:39:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:39:57","slug":"food-scrap-ban","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/es\/article\/composting-for-community\/food-scrap-ban","title":{"rendered":"Food Scrap Recovery Policies"},"template":"","class_list":["post-19032","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article_type-policy-topic","initiatives-composting-for-community","topics-climate-change","topics-recycling","impact_areas-climate-and-environmental-justice","authors-brenda-platt"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":"","background_color":"tan","article_type":[135],"initiative":15,"display_event_fields":false,"start_date":null,"end_date":null,"start_time":null,"end_time":null,"time_zone":"America\/New_York","virtual_event":false,"location":"","topics":[62,112],"impact_areas":[16],"abstract":"According to the US Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s data on municipal solid waste generation and management, an estimated 52.4 percent of yard trimmings were \u201cgrasscycled\u201d or composted in 2018, while only 6.1 percent of food scraps were composted. Policies that ban food scraps from landfills can have a tremendous and immediate effect on diverting organics from the waste stream, while also reducing landfill-generated greenhouse gas emissions.","authors_tax":[601]},"sidebar":{"title":"\u00cdndice"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"According to the US Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s data on municipal solid waste generation and management<\/b><\/a>, an estimated 52.4 percent of yard trimmings were \u201cgrasscycled\u201d or composted in 2018, while only 6.1 percent of food scraps were composted. Policies that ban food scraps from landfills can have a tremendous and immediate effect on diverting organics from the waste stream, while also reducing landfill-generated greenhouse gas emissions.\r\n\r\n \r\n

Model Policies<\/b><\/h2>\r\n
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Austin, Texas \u2013 Universal Recycling Ordinance<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
In 2011, the City of Austin set a goal of a 75% diversion rate for solid waste by 2020 as part of its larger zero waste ambitions. In 2014, the city expanded its Universal Recycling Ordinance to include organics. Austin\u2019s goals are based on a desire to mitigate methane emissions from landfills and promote economic development. In its Resource Recovery Master Plan, the city envisions providing incentives to encourage an economy in which the discards of one business can be the feedstocks of another business. A study prepared in 2008 for the city government by consultants estimated that a diversion economy could generate 1,800 jobs for Austin.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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California \u2013 Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
Seeking to further California's waste diversion rate and thereby preserve landfill capacity for the future, the state enacted\u00a0Assembly Bill 1826 on September 28, 2014. Also known as the Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling (MORe) program, the bill\u00a0requires commercial generators of organic waste to compost or anaerobically digest their food waste, landscape and other green waste, food-soiled paper, and nonhazardous wood waste. The law's staggered dates of enforcement will allow adjustment time to develop greater capacity in California's existing organic waste processing infrastructure.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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California \u2013 Organic Waste Mandates \u2013 Methane Reduction<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
California has implemented a statewide methane emissions reduction program focused on organic waste recycling and food recovery, signed into law by Governor Brown on September 19, 2016. The legislation (SB 1383 Lara, Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016) aims to reduce emissions from short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) through food recovery, diversion from landfills, and dairy and livestock manure management. The main targets of the law are statewide reduction of organic waste disposal (to landfills) by 75 percent and recovery of at least 20 percent of currently-disposed surplus food by 2025.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Connecticut \u2013 Organics Recycling Mandate<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
A 2009 waste characterization study of Connecticut\u2019s waste stream found that food scraps are the single most common recyclable material (by weight) of the state\u2019s disposed solid waste. In fact, almost one-third of the state\u2019s annual contribution to landfills is made up of food scraps and other recoverable organics. These numbers prompted Connecticut to enact a recycling mandate for certain organic materials on January 1, 2014.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Maryland \u2013 Organics Recycling and Waste Diversion<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
In April 2021, the Maryland Legislature passed House Bill 264, \u201cSolid Waste Management - Organics Recycling and Waste Diversion - Food Residuals,\u201d sponsored by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian (District 20). The bill\u2019s goal is to divert wasted food from landfills and incinerators and spur the development of more capacity to reduce, rescue, and recycle this material. It became law on May 30th without Governor Hogan\u2019s signature.\u00a0\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Massachusetts \u2013 Commerical Organics Disposal Ban<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
Massachusetts has a problem: it is running out of landfill capacity and already has disposal fees higher than the national average. Accordingly, in 2013, Massachusetts planned to reduce the quantity of waste disposed by 30% in 2020, and by 80% in 2050, from a 2008 baseline level. In working toward achieving this goal, they targeted food waste, resulting in a reduction of 180,000 tons of food waste per year between 2008 and 2018.\u00a0\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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NYC \u2013 Commercial Organics Recycling Mandate<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
New York City generates 1.8 million tons of commercial and residential organic waste, 95% of which ends up in landfills or incinerators both in and outside of New York state lines. In December 2013, NYC passed its Commercial Organic Waste law (Local Law 146), which took effect July 1, 2015. This law mandates specific large-scale generators to arrange for the recycling of their organic materials or employ department-approved methods to process the material themselves. The City has recently recommitted to organics recycling and is making efforts to expand curbside composting as part of its zero waste plans.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Rhode Island \u2013 Food Waste Recycling Requirements<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
In 2014 Rhode Island amended its\u00a0Refuse Disposal laws to create a food waste ban in landfills and to promote the recycling of food residuals via composting and\u00a0anaerobic digestion.\u00a0Other approved methods include on-site composting or diversion for agricultural uses.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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San Francisco, California: Normas sobre compostaje<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
The City of San Francisco has some of the most progressive recycling regulations in the country.\u00a0These regulations were further strengthened in June 2009 when the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance requiring all city residents to separate food scraps, recyclable material, and trash into three separate curbside containers (blue for recycling, black for trash, and green for composting).\u00a0Starting in 2011 the City will be able to impose fines on those who do not effectively separate these materials.\u00a0 The fine will be $100 for small businesses and single occupancy homes and up to $1,000 for large businesses and multi-unit buildings. \u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Vermont \u2013 Universal Recycling Law<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
With only one active landfill serving the entire state, Vermont is aggressively embarking on a first-of-its-kind, statewide parallel collection program of all mandated recyclable materials, including yard debris and food residuals. By taking a phased-in, all-in approach, by 2020 all of Vermont\u2019s citizens will be required to divert food scraps and other organics from the landfill and all haulers and solid waste management facilities will be required to provide services for these materials.\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n
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Washington \u2013 Organics Diversion and Funding<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
In 2022, Washington State passed House Bill 1799, which updated several provisions related to organic materials disposal and management. The bill also addresses compost purchasing, siting of processing facilities, and food recovery. Through this legislation, Washington established new funding and financial incentives, the Center for Sustainable Food Management (housed within the Department of Ecology), business waste management regulations, and new regulations for organic material facilities to ensure sufficient capacity to process organics\u2026 Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/div>\r\n
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