Group Members: Makinoon, Vicki, Kevin, Anastasiya, Ingrid
Issue: The recovery and recycling of commercial food and organics waste in NYC.
Proposed Policy Solution: A mandate for organics and food waste recycling and recovery that would apply to all consumer-facing businesses in NYC. Taking inspiration from the proposed NYS Food Recovery and Recycling Act, our two-part legislation would encourage small businesses to either partner with local food rescue organizations or have their food waste picked up as a part of trash collection, and would seek to incorporate technology into the organic waste recycling process.
Food Waste Facts (Makinoon): Our research shows that food waste not only negatively impacts the environment, but also results in loss of embedded resources used to get the food from the seed to the table. Based on estimates from the USDA, food loss at retail and consumer levels corresponded to 133 billions pounds and $161 billion of food in 2010. Food waste accounts for 21-33% of US agriculture water use. So, throwing away a hamburger would be wasting water equivalent to a 90 minute shower. In terms of environmental damage, when food waste is decomposed, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in its contribution to global warming. Food waste is responsible for 11% of all landfill-generated methane emissions and +2.6% of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
Current Organics Policy (Vicki): In 2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg challenged restaurants to reduce food waste in our landfills by 50%. This challenge resulted in 2,500 tons of food waste being diverted from landfills. Starting in 2016, food establishments that met certain criteria are required to separate their organic waste (ie. places with a floor area greater than 15,000 square feet and are a part of a chain of 100 or more locations in NYC). Businesses have to either partner with a private carting company, self-transport, or install an on-site composting unit. There is currently a push for the Food Recovery and Recycling Act, which would require large generators of food waste to not only recycle their food scraps, but also donate viable foods to food rescue operations.
Comparable Policies (Kevin): Our research on similar policies both globally, and nationally, has shown that governments are developing new methods of recycling food waste through partnerships with restaurants & the implementation of new policies. Multiple U.S. states, including Vermont, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, have set policies to turn food waste into energy, stop the overflow of landfills, and cut food waste from industrial places and residential homes. In parts of the U.S. health departments have begun setting fines from $100 to $2000 for all food waste being thrown away by restaurants. Internationally, European cities such as Milan, have focused on reusing food waste from restaurants to produce food for homeless shelters. We can use these methods as examples on which to base our policy.
Incorporating Technology (Anastasiya):Through our research we have seen that restaurants such as Pret and Starbucks have committed to donating all of their unsold food. Starbucks employs its own workers to drive around in a pick up car, collecting all of the food from different Starbucks locations. Pret does a similar program but they have food rescue organizations come pick up the food from them once they pack everything up. Berlin has public refrigerators where businesses and individuals can leave food, and others that need it can pick it up whenever they need to. Although this is currently being investigated on whether it is a health hazard, it is a good idea and could be an inspiration for a similar process in NYC. An important issue with our project is how do we prevent food contamination? By having an app, people can have profiles and be held somewhat accountable for the food they provide. Having designated drop off/ pick up areas would implement the fridge idea, but the online app would limit who can drop off the food. The app idea comes from Olio, which is an app that allows people to post food they don’t want and allows for others to pick it up. Our idea would eliminate the need for people to schedule exchange times/places.
Potential for Food Rescue Expansion (Ingrid): On the topic of food rescue organizations and partnerships, our research shows that New York City has substantial capacity to increase its food rescue, with the NRDC finding that the city could close an additional 23% of its meal gap and highlighting the potential of health inspectors to act as points of connection between businesses and food rescue organizations. The NYC Department of Sanitation incentivises businesses to develop ways to combat food waste while donating to those who struggle with hunger, through its annual Food Waste Fair and its Microgrant Initiative. There are substantial numbers of food rescue organizations active in NYC who prioritize using edible food waste to close the hunger gap, and whose utility can be expanded under our proposed policy.
Group breakdown:We divided the research into five primary sections, which we will combine in our presentation to make a thorough case for our policy proposal. Each member was responsible for researching and analyzing their individuals section (the name of the contributor is in brackets next to their respective contribution), and we will come together to formulate a conclusive analysis.
Remaining work: We must determine appropriate enforcement measures that will encourage widespread adoption of more sustainable food waste practices. Now that our research is complete, we will jointly conduct a cost-benefit analysis of our proposal, and identify some major effects and pitfalls of the policy. Lastly, together we intend to come up with a conclusion summarizing the need for our proposed policy.
Annotated Bibliography
Axe, Sarah, and Danielle Nierenberg. “27 Organizations in New York City Combating Food Waste.” Food Tank, foodtank.com, 20 Sept. 2018, foodtank.com/news/2018/09/27-organizations-in-new-york-city-combating-food-waste/.
- This source lists currently active food rescue organizations in New York City.
Berkenkamp, JoAnne and Caleb Phillips, PhD. Modeling The Potential To Increase Food Rescue: Denver, New York City and Nashville. National Resource Defense Council (NRDC). Oct. 2017. pp. 4-18, 21-22. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/modeling-potential-increase-food-rescue-report.pdf.
- This source is a report by the non-profit environmental group NRDC which analyzes and models city’s capacity to expand food rescue operations to meet food need and minimize food waste.
Chaudhury, Nadia. “Austin Restaurants Can’t Throw Away Food Waste Anymore.” Eater Austin, Vox Media, 4 Oct. 2018, austin.eater.com/2018/10/4/17936462/austin-restaurants-zero-waste-ordinance-composting-food.
- This source from Eater magazine describes the strategies the city of Austin has used to address food waste generated specifically by restaurants, which we think can be very useful if applied here in NYC.
d’Antonio, Simone. “Milan Leads Fight against Food Waste – with Ugly Fruit and Michelin-Starred Soup Kitchens.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Oct. 2016, www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/16/milan-fight-against-food-waste-ugly-fruit-grassroots-world-food-day.
- In this source from the guardian, the author describes Milan’s strategies for combating stigma against eating “ugly” foods which is a great contributor to the country’s food waste.
DSNY – The City of New York Department of Sanitation, www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/food-scraps-and-yard-waste-page/commercial-requirements.
- The NYC Department of Sanitation lists the criteria that determines whether or not a company is required to separate their organic waste and provides options on how to transport or compost their waste.
Frandsen, Jon. “Here’s How States Are Working to Curb Food Waste.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 16 May 2017, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/heres-states-working-curb-food-waste.
- This source from PBS provides an overview of the different strategies states around the U.S. are using to try to combat food waste.
Giles, Chris. “Olio: Fighting Food Waste and Hooking You up with a Free Meal.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 19 May 2017, money.cnn.com/2017/05/19/smallbusiness/olio-food-waste-share/.
- This article from CNN Money gives background on the newly popular app “Olio” which is seeking to combat food waste by attaching a social and technologically interactive component to food rescue. We are inspired by this app to seek ways to integrate similar technologies into our policy.
Gunders, Dana, and Jonathan Bloom. “Wasted: How America is Losing up to 40 Percent of its Food from Farm to Fork Landfill.” NRDC, Aug. 2017, www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-2017-report.pdf.
- This source is a report by the non-profit environmental group NRDC analyzing the causes of food waste in the U.S.
Hester, Jessica Leigh. “Their Coffee Is Controversial, But Starbucks Gets Food Waste Policy Right.” CityLab, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2016, www.citylab.com/life/2016/03/starbucks-food-waste/475326/.
- This article from CityLab explains one of the ways large corporations like Starbucks have stepped up to combat food waste, and have become leaders in sustainable practices in their industry, which we hope other NYC businesses will seek to emulate.
Marshall, Aarian. “Berlin’s Public Refrigerators Were Just Declared a Health Hazard.” CityLab, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2016, www.citylab.com/equity/2016/02/berlin-public-refridgerator-food-sharing-germany/462633/.
- This article from CityLab exposes the problems Berlin’s ambitious plan of integrating technology in their combating the city’s food waste problem.
Mathew , Teresa, and Jessica Leigh Hester. “Why Cities Are Working With Businesses to Fight Food Waste.” CityLab, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2017, www.citylab.com/environment/2017/11/cities-businesses-food-waste-partnerships/544526/.
- This source is an article explaining the partnership between city governments and local business to combat food waste.
“More than 2,500 Tons of Food Waste Diverted from Landfills in Food Waste Challenge.” The Official Website of the City of New York, 22 Nov. 2013, www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/379-13/mayor-bloomberg-more-2-500-tons-food-waste-diverted-landfills-first-six.
- Mayor Bloomberg challenged restaurants across NYC to partake in a food waste challenge to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfills by 50%. Approximately one hundred restaurants participated, and in only six months, 2500 tons of organic waste was diverted.
“NYS Food Recovery and Recycling Act.” Hunger Action Network in NYS, www.hungeractionnys.org/nys-food-recovery-and-recycling-act/.
- Hunger Action Network is a non-profit organization based in New York that strives to end hunger. They are pushing for the passage of the Food Recovery and Recycling Act to require the donation of unused and viable foods to various programs that help feed the hungry, as well as the recycling of food scraps.
“OCE / U.S. Food Waste Challenge / FAQ’s.” USDA, www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/faqs.htm.
- This source from the US Department of Agriculture details the food waste problem in the U.S. and its environmental impacts, and provides valuable data collected from nationwide surveys of food waste.
