The Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Sustainable Waste Management has been honored by the National Conference of State Legislatures for spearheading a comprehensive and ongoing set of actions to reduce food waste in New Jersey through its Food Waste Reduction Plan, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today.
In presenting the Notable Document Award to the DEP, the National Conference of State Legislatures commended the DEP’s Food Waste Reduction Plan “as innovative in providing substantive information on contemporary issues of interest to legislatures.” The group’s judging panel further noted the plan could serve as a model for other state legislatures seeking to reduce food waste.
“I congratulate the Division of Sustainable Waste Management for its commitment to identifying and implementing solutions to address the problem of food waste, as acknowledged by this honor bestowed by the National Conference of State Legislatures,” said Commissioner LaTourette. “Not only is food waste the single largest component of the municipal solid waste stream in New Jersey and a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, it presents us with a multitude of societal challenges that must be addressed if we are to achieve our goals of a fairer and more sustainable Garden State.”
“Making smart food decisions is where reducing food waste begins,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn said. “Our school nutrition programs right size meals for different age groups, reducing the amount of food used up front. Consumers can do the same by meal planning and selecting local Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables which will have a longer shelf life in the home.”
Uneaten food thrown out by businesses, schools, hospitals and residents results in wasted precious resources including water, land, energy, labor and capital. Not only are resources wasted, but so are opportunities to help those who face food insecurity.
To overcome these challenges and better protect the environment, New Jersey adopted the Food Waste Reduction Act in 2017, which outlines the state’s goal to cut annual generation of food waste in half by 2030. Following its adoption, the DEP in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture developed the Food Waste Reduction Plan to quantify the amount of food waste generated in the state based on available data and propose short and long-term actions to achieve the state’s food waste reduction goal.
Several of the plan’s solutions for reducing wasted food are currently being implemented by DEP’s Division of Sustainable Waste Management. They include:
- Coordinating with organizations such as Sustainable Jersey and Association of NJ Recyclers to promote food waste reduction strategies at the local government level
- Supporting food donation outlets
- Providing guidance on date labelling
- Conducting statewide waste composition audits and improved monitoring
- Development of a food waste website identifying actions that stakeholders and residents can take to reduce food waste
- Raising awareness on social media
“I sponsored the Food Waste Reduction Act in 2017 and am glad to see the National Conference of State Legislatures recognize the critical work being done by the Department through its implementation,” said Senator Bob Smith, Chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee and Food Waste Reduction Act sponsor. “Roughly 30 to 40 percent of our food here in the United States ends up in the trash, wasting hundreds of billions annually. Through the promotion of more responsible habits surrounding our food, the development of food waste recycling facilities, and better guidance on food labeling we can make New Jersey a leader in tackling food waste, as this recent honor shows.”
“I was proud to sponsor the Food Waste Reduction Act and am thrilled to see the progress that has been made since its enactment. Reducing annual generation of food waste in half by 2030 is an ambitious, yet achievable, goal that reflects our commitment to sustainability,” said Assemblywoman and Food Waste Reduction Act sponsor Pamela Lampitt. “By addressing food waste, we are not only conserving valuable resources but also taking significant steps towards feeding the hungry and protecting our environment.”
“Congratulations to the DEP’s Division of Sustainable Waste Management for this prestigious honor. As chair of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee, I am deeply committed to initiatives that protect our environment, such as the Food Waste Reduction Plan,” said Assemblyman and Food Waste Reduction Act sponsor James Kennedy. “New Jersey has made significant strides in its efforts to preserve our natural world. By working together, we can continue to lead the way towards a future where we waste less, and use our resources more efficiently and responsibly.”
One of the most significant ways DEP has been striving to meet the goals of the plan is by funding various food waste reduction projects conducted by institutions of higher education in the state. Some of these projects include the development of a food waste toolkit for K-12 schools to reduce, recover and recycle food waste, an interactive map that aims to connect food waste generators with donation outlets by using spatial technology to identify food banks and pantries within certain distances of waste generators (still under development), and municipal solid waste audits that measure the amount of food waste in overall trash generation.
In addition to the funding efforts, the DEP has promoted food waste reduction statewide through the following:
- Publication of educational guidelines to assist K-12 schools in developing food waste management programs and educating students on the importance of reducing food waste at home to reduce the impacts of climate change
- Development of a sector-by-sector food waste toolkit to assist various stakeholders in understanding food waste concerns and learning how businesses can reduce and recycle their food waste
- Acquired grant funding as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program that will allow for the creation of waste management guidance and a toolkit for local governments in New Jersey, and a food waste estimation tool to help commercial businesses and institutions determine how much pre-consumer versus post-consumer food waste they generate per year and whether they are required to comply with food waste recycling mandates in New Jersey
Food Waste Reduction Plan Background
The Food Waste Reduction Plan was developed through an extensive public engagement process which included meetings with various stakeholders including state and federal agencies and NGOs to understand food waste reduction issues, quantify food waste generation estimates and work toward meeting the 2030 goal. Public meetings were held in the fall of 2019 and a draft of the Food Waste Reduction Plan was released shortly thereafter. The plan was finalized and officially posted in October 2023.
Food Waste Recycling and Food Waste-to-Energy Production Law
Food waste recycling is a secondary component of food waste management. Generators of food waste should recycle food waste only after exhausting all efforts to prevent the generation of food waste in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Wasted Food Scale.
The Food Waste-to-Energy Production Law requires large food waste generators who generate an average projected volume of 52 tons of food waste or more per year to source separate and recycle their food waste. Large food waste generators must comply with the law if they are located within 25 road miles of an authorized food waste recycling facility. These recycling efforts repurpose food waste into agricultural compost and biogas, a renewable energy source.
Currently, New Jersey has two authorized food waste recycling facilities, and it is estimated at least three new food waste recycling facilities will be operational in the next few years. This will expand the requirement for large food waste generators to source-separate and recycle their pre-consumer food waste in more regions of the state.
Reduce Food Waste
New Jersey residents can do their part to help reach the food waste reduction goal by storing food properly to extend its shelf life, meal planning, avoiding bulk purchases, and understanding date labels. For more tips on how to reduce food waste, visit DEP’s food waste reduction website and food waste toolkit.