United States
Environmental. Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
• EPA-530-F-98-002
 January 1998  .
Don't Throw
Away That  Food
Strategies for Record-Setting
Waste Reduction
                                Waste
                              Reduction
    The, Waste Reduction Record-Setters project  fosters the
    development of exceptional waste reduction programs by
    documenting successful ones. These programs can be used as models for others
    implementing their own programs to reduce garbage. This factsheet packet is one in a series
    on Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction. It is oriented toward commercial and
    institutional food discard generators, and highlights record-setting food recovery programs.

 Food discards: what are they and where do they come from?
    Food discards (fud dis-kards):food preparation wastes and uneaten food from households,
    commercial establishments, institutions, and. industries.1
    Major generators: restaurants, supermarkets, produce stands, school cafeterias, hospitals, food
 processors,farmers, hotels, prisons, employee lunch rooms, and community events.
    Examples: leftovers, outdated bread, wilted lettuce, surplus canned goods, vegetable peels,
 and fruit pits.
   Why recover food discards?
        ccording to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, if 5% of
        consumer, retail, and food service food discards from 1995 were recovered, savings from
    landfill costs alone would be about $50 million dollars annually.2 Recovering 5% of losses from
    these three sources "would represent the equivalent of a day's food for each of 4 million
    people."3 Food discards comprise 6.7% by weight of the total U.S. municipal solid waste stream.
    In 1995,14,000,000 tons of food discards were generated. Of this, only 4.1 %, 600,000 tons, was
    diverted, or recovered, from the traditional disposal destinations of landfills and incinerators.4
        Almost any business can successfully create fewer discards by buying less, and can divert
     food discards from landfills. Businesses with record-setting food diversion programs are
      recovering 50 to 100% of their food discards and reducing their overall solid waste by 33 to
      85%. Often, recovery of food and other organics is just one part of a successful overall
      waste reduction program that realizes both environmental and economic benefits. Your
        program can allow you to:
                                                              •-.,
          •  Avoid trash collection and disposal fees;
          •  Provide food to the needy;
          •  Recover the nutrient value of the food as compost or animal food;
          •  Help your community meet local and  state waste reduction goals;
          •  Sustain local industries and jobs; and
          •  Create an improved public image for your business.

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Recovery Options
1|fbur choke of recovery methods will
 I depend on many factors.These
Include the quantity and type of food
discards, availability of space for on-site
recovery, existence of haulers and/or
end users for off-site recovery, and
program costs. Food discard recovery
methods include making donations,
processing into animal feed, rendering,
and composting. Off-site methods
involve food discard generators, haulers,
and end users.

Food Donations

    Non-perishable and unspoiled
perishable food can be donated to local
food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters.
Local and national programs frequently
offer free pick-up and provide reusable
containers to donors. To encourage
food donations, all 50 states and the
District of Columbia have enacted
"Good Samaritan" laws that protect
from liability those donors who take
adequate measures to prevent food
spoilage or contamination.

Animal Feed

    Recovering food discards as animal
feed is not new. In many areas hog
farmers have traditionally relied on food
discards to sustain their livestock.
Farmers may provide storage containers
and free or low-cost pick-up service.
Coffee grounds and foods with high salt
content are not usually accepted, as
they can be harmful to livestock.
At least one company is
using technology to
convert food discards into
a high-quality, dry,
pelletized animal feed.
Food discards are also
used to make pet food,

Rendering

    Liquid fats and solid meat products
can be used as raw materials in the
rendering industry, which converts
them into animal food, cosmetics, soap,
and other products. Many companies
will provide storage barrels and free
pick-up service.
Composting
    Composting can be done both on-
and off-site. Available land space as
well as haulers and end users in your
area will help you decide which is
better for you. If you compost on-site,
you will need to consider
carbon/nitrogen ratios. Food scraps
provide most of the nitrogen, while
bulking agents such as newspaper,
cardboard, and wood chips provide
carbon. The moisture and carbon
content of your food discards will
determine how much bulking agent
you should add. Temperature and
aeration are other important factors
that will determine how long it takes
materials to compost. Composting can
take many forms:

•  Unaerated Static Pile Composting:
Organic discards are piled and  mixed
with a bulking material. This method is
best suited for small operations; it
cannot accommodate meat or grease.
                                 ''        •••
                 piajinii i	,., .Jiil"'!^"!1 "hiSS" JlW fnittftiliBllflSiilSii'iiili'i111'' J'SSIiililii'ii" rlif MflSrS'lii'illJIi
Organics are formed into rows or long
                 Jlteiis:!* SS^iiErcjSsdsSEa' zss
piles and aerated
mechanically. Thj
accommodate I
organics. It can
amounts of m
frequent tu
temperatujEand moisture control.
          *~'"	'	muxi/^ssnsmiiaxat^ii^j^ssistt
                                                 '{.Composting: Composting
                  systems. They
                  ilpiSniBBB
                 jsizes, an
         :or mechanical mixing or
(usuaWreJwormsIbrea!
organic
matetpIsJnto a nigh-value compost
                 is method is faster
             , or n'V
a reproduces high-quality compost.
  •••••(illliiiiiiiiiiisi^
       products or grease cannot be
       '"'""iSRilliisiSssssspsasu	"
          I Usihq this method.
                                                                                 ISg,,,.,;;,;^,,,,.,;,,;;;!  •*... ,v^T*1,';:l;'*:*1•'"^.•:.•T!*•>l*""l• ';,""' :'-"-"• "*"
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                                                                                                ^^,<^^l^^^^-^™,'^^S'-^^^^'-^^^^l:^:^^ST^^^f^
                                                                                    ^(iMMMJttf^Kitf'i^^.^ij.^' irici.^n1. Vj.' • ^ ^ u>-:., .r.^t.^u.1:: - ^:>  H'^.T:

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Food Recovery Tips
Tips From
Record-Setters

•  Consult with your local and state
Recycling coordinators .
    These solid waste planners may
help locate a market for food discards
dr provide technical advice.
    Some agencies award grant
money for innovative projects.
    If no end users exist locally, request
that local agencies such as the
department of solid waste or economic
development help develop some.
a  Network with other business
members to learn about their experiences
with food recovery programs.
•  Research the haulers and end users
in your area.
•  Anticipate barriers to a successful
program and how you will overcome
them. Learn from others. Ask
employees what potential  problems
they see. They, after all, will be
responsible for running the program.
•  Train food service workers well, and
well ahead of program implementation.
«  Monitor and periodically re-evaluate
your program.
•  Use composting diversion to reduce
your waste hauling and tipping costs.
•  Be creative.
              the Waste Reduction
           ^ Record-Setters Project   !
          A- was developed under a  .3
  U.S. EPA grant by the Institute for Local 5
  Self Reliance (ILSR). For more information::
E on the project, contact ILSR, 2425 18fn .
S=Street, NW, Washin"gton,"DC 2bbb'C"!" 1
Ephone (202) 232-4108, fax (202) 332:- ' |
L 0463, web site (www.ilsr.org). Also visit ';
i^~     ,> -,! < '-^•/.'.«-^9u--^;J_.^-^-.f-c,^. ,,,;.,.. _rr-r.:^,.JT,,-.-«
t the EPA web site (www.epa.gov/osw). ]
Tips for Solid Waste
Planners
•  Provide information on:
    local food discard end .users
      and haulers;
    local businesses/institutions
      recovering food discards; and
    legislation/regulations.
•  Lead by example—institute a food
discard recovery program in your office.
                                                                                •  Designate a staff person
                                                                                encourage organics diversio
                                                                                •  Sponsor tours or demon
                                                                                successful programs.
                                                                                m  Fund a pilot program.
                                                                                •  Develop a local comppstfi
                                                                                or other end user, if none exi*
                                                                                •  Work with local haulers i
                                                                                ers to provide pick-up servjg
                                                                                discards—maybe inclu
                                                                                pick-ups along with rl
  Resources
 :J»>_ General Resources
 ;-t_   r_ State composting councils and environmental or agriculture
          agencies can provide information on composting
  ^p=--State veterinarians can provide information on diversion to animal feed
        Local Chambers of Commerce can provide information on area rendering
  **"      companies
  - -  - Local chanties, social service agencies, and local chapters of national charities
          can provide information on food donation
   L_j7 Yellow Pages or Internet headings such as composting, rendering, and waste
          reduction facilities        ..'.....'
                                                                                                                    S**aw««as*

   jSpecific Resources
     __r BioCyde Journal of Composting & Recycling published by JG Press, Inc. (610)
          967-4135                .;'.  ;
      A-Other EPA fact sheets        __... ,.1,,,. .   :      	               ...'.•	
      	^Managing Food Scraps as Animal Feed
       ___  Donating Surplus Food to the Needy
      ?*~~~ Waste Reduction Tips for Hotels and Gaming Establishments in Indian Country
          Reducing Food Waste in Indian Country
      -   Doing What it Takes to be Waste Wi$e: Food Manufacturing/Processing
          Industry
      ».   Available by calling the RCRA Hotline: 1-800-424-9346 or 1-800-553-7672
                                          BAH4S ut^T . • —
                                               - .[/•-
  1*^*^"— for the hearing impaired
  s= -^~ Compost: Because a Rind is a Terrible Thing to Waste by Jean Bonhotal and
          Karen Rollo. Available from: Cornell University Media Services Resource
          Center/ 7 Business & Technology Park/ Ithaca, NY 14850,607-255-2080, FAX
          607-255-9946, e-mail: Dist_Center@cce.cornell.edu
       ^A Guide to Commercial Food Composting by Composting Council Research and
      —  Education Foundation,4424 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 102, Bethesda, MD
          20814,301-913-2885
     jLA£itizen's Guidejo EoodRecovery by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1996.
       .—Available from the USDA Food Recovery Hotline and National Hunger
          Clearinghouse  by calling 1-800-GLEAN-IT
                                                                                                                       '^3

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                          Model Programs —  Diversion Strategies and  Rates
                                                                                                      -                      ,
                                                                                                      FootfbiscSJs""™ Stream"

                                                                                                      urganics
                   '	' ""Ifj-sitefflrnjMsfihg;	
(Mfixnl* "       '      OT-sltewrmkompostmg;	 "?"!?*«/ cups, napfiris,tovrels; vegetable
                                                            tons per year)     Recovered

                                                                            *KUw
                                                            51 (1996)         759
                                                                                                                      85%
                            pij;	I,"!™,; ^""ItZltil.iii^ pn-she'tjitsjienjcoolangpi)'^  '_ '   _'""

                                                              KcardMeftoverT
                                                     nent
                                                                                                      consumer
                         On-stte"cornpostmg
                                                 I pre- and post-consumer'food
                                              	sCTaps and leftovers	
                                                           iufqf'I'lJ	jiTi'ip	jrrTfr!	!	h	!IHI;	
                                                            80 (1997)   '  "    100%
53%
                                                            it-consumer discards from
                                                         nmerjlfesMurampTicr
                         Off-site composting;         Produce an3 floral trimmings and        870(1
                         rendering; donations        spoils, waxed cardboard; meat and fish
                              I'.             '.'..".:  trimmings;canned'goods
        •
few ttxk Slate
'DcpartmlSof
                                                     nenrooaorep discards and post-      288 (1995

                                                          i.waJx3'co'r'r'uoatecr
On-site composting at 30     .Kitchen food prepdiscards, post-         6,200 (FY97
facilities; off-site            consumer leftovers including chicken
composting at 17 facilities    faones; some sites accept paper towels
  ••••'»f;-|;|	;-'	-•	:	:	-f::,	i;;^        caj^b'Saj^.,'^ ",.'. '., 't	'	' ^,"'	',„",,'.,,_,"	'^„
                                               === EoiDle, non-salao
                                                                  duce; me
                                                                __ MMia
                                                                dace ana
                                                                                                      90%
                                                                                                      Greatertnan
                                                                                                      50% from
—  . „(
StopRke
                        • i^» , ..... «'< ..... " ' ' «;'. ":"' ', i •• '•'•  "••'••" ..... ••  '»•!' ..... f ...... .= j • '" • "i ''"''• ':ilt ....... •' ''»i ; " ..... 1|| ......... ' ip;s. ' •    .~
                         Off-site composting;         Floral and produce trimmings and       3,
                         rendering             "    spoils, out-of-date balcery items, oM
                                              "'""se^    soiled paper 'products, food
i. pit I!	;iM.ii/
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Record-Setters Reap Benefits
    Avoid trash collection and
    disposal fees     ,
        Through composting,
    Fletcher Allen Health Care in
    Burlington,Verjhont, avoids $86
    per ton in landfill tipping fees and
    spends only $25 to tip its
    compostables off-site,
    representing a savings of $61
    per ton.           ,
        With high recovery rates, you
    can have your trash dumpsters
    picked up less frequently, or use
   • smaller dumpsters for the same
    pick-up frequency.
    Provide food to the needy
        The San Francisco Food Bank
    collects over 37 toh| of edible
    food a month from wholesalers
    and distributes it to loral service
    agencies.           -
                       vain
Recover the nutrient value of
the food as compost
or animal food           \
    At New York Department of
Correctional Services facilities,
compost made from landscape
trimmings and cafeteria food
scraps adds rich organic matter to
farms and horticulture projects.
"Closing the loop" can also save
money by giving you access to
cheap soil amendment or   *
wholesale organic produce.
Help your community meet
local and state waste
reduction goals
    In 1996 the Del Mar
Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California,
diverted 85% of its waste stream,
including more than 38 tons of
food discards. This helped the
town of Del Mar meet diversion
goals set by the 1989 California
Waste Management Law.

Sustain local industries and jobs
    Composting employs four
times more people on a per-ton
basis than landfilling.5
    The Intervale Foundation, a
non-profit organization in
Vermont, employs five people full
time at its composting site in
Burlington.
                                                                            Create an improved public
                                                                            image for your business
                                                                                Customers at Larry's Markets
                                                                            in Washington are proud to shop
                                                                            at a store with a strong
                                                                            composting program.
                                                                             tNotes   • -
                                                                             pi; Adapted from the U.S.
                                                                               Environmental Protection Agency,
                                                                               ;- Measuring Recycling: A Guide for
                                                                                    and Local Governments, 1 997,
                                                                                Karrtor L.S., Lipton K., Manchester A.,
                                                                               :a;nd Oliveira V., Estimating and
                                                                                Addressing America's Food Losses.
                                                                             Ip USDA, 1 997, page 8: Advance release
                                                                             jpuof same article in FoodReview,Vbl.
                                                                             fp;20, No. 1 , Jan.-Apr., 1 997.
                                                                             BEKsiptor LS., Lipton K., Manchester A.,
                                                                               1 and Oliveira V., 1 997, page 4.
                                                                              *_Agency, Characterization of Municipal
                                                                             fe-Sp/W Waste in the United States, 1996
                                                                             Hi Update, 1997, pp. 28-29.
                                                                             Jpfi?Jobs Sustained per 100,000 TRY
                                                                             fife Handled at Various Operations,"
                                                                             I?;'" Institute for Local Self-Reliance,
                                                                             C Washington, D.C., 1997.

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                            Recovery Program
some Questions and Answers

       'can I create a record-setting
   program?
        t    	iliililK	$
      ft t& more than one way to
  	QcMfijM mea^jre a successful
                 n. Successful
                 »two defining
                r induce the amount
                   be landfill or
                     aoney in
                   51al methods.
                 ,,,,iil
                 |ef programs are

               prefiehave waste

                     udit before
                rim	I/ill help you
                     •vhat is in
                    [aseline
                     a marker for
                     iversion rate
                ange'fn spending.
. _. _	;;:,r Depending onlhe
w^	    --    -*
        composition of yQur waste
              the best method of
                        iay be a
 llll^^
  I III •
      [HWlQllfflgpate nave also
      ,„,_	,	Jiii
      iSie
                """iffllmilople
                       liorejikely

                       iscards
                        ••I
                        iigo	,
                             ave
                Mm product.
> employee jot
                              i
                             li ml
                           ililiilii
                          /ou ar<
                          '"!	.I'll!	i
                            QWill beginning a food
                            composting program cost much?
A                            Start-up costs are typically low. For
                            example, Shop Rite Supermarkets
                       in New Jersey had only to pay for the
                       rental of extra dumpsters and for the
                       additional organics pick-up. If you
                       choose to compost on-site with special
                       equipment, costs can be
                       higher. Your current equipment, plans
                       for your composting program, and
                       available space will all determine your
                       start-up costs.

                            QHow can I run a cost-effective
                            program?
A                            How cost effective your program is
                            mainly depends on the difference
                       between your current hauling and
                       tipping costs and those of the program
                       you decide to implement. For
                       composting, fees are usually significantly
                       less than trash fees. You may also be
                       able to sell finished compost. Food
                       banks and Tenderers usually provide free
                       pick-up, allowing programs to avoid
                       100% of their trash costs.
     Qlf I collect organics for
     composting or animal feed, am I
destined to live with vectors and foul
odors?
A    No. Most businesses that collect
    kitchen and table scraps avoid
these problems by keeping organics in
covered containers.  Many refrigerate
containers until pick-up. A Waste
Specialist at Fletcher Allen Health Care,
where containers are picked up daily,
says that they avoid vector and odor
problems by keeping their containers
clean and their organics "moving."

    QAre composting and providing
     animal feed viable options for
urban businesses?
A    Yes. Commercial composting
    facilities in or near cities will take
your food discards. Farmers are close
enough to many urban areas that they
will pick up from your business.
Wholesalers and retailers throughout
San Francisco participate in a food
discard recovery program which
includes providing food for cattle.


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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002a
June 1998
 Del  Mar  Fairgrounds
 Del  Mar, California
 75% Recovery of Food Discards
    In 1996 Del Mar Fairgrounds, a 375-acre site, diverted 38 tons, or
    approximately 75% of its food discards from landfill. The fairgrounds
    achieved this through a comprehensive waste reduction program which includes:
    off-site composting of food from its annual 20-day fair (1996 attendance 1,018,659);
    vermicomposting of food from its Satellite Wagering Facility; and sending used cooking oil
    to a rendering company.
Program Description

    Del Mar Fairgrounds' efforts to get to "zero
    waste or darn close"were partially spurred
by a 1989 California Waste Management Law
requiring 50% diversion of solid waste from
landfills. Most of the fairgrounds'
compostables come from vendors at the
 annual fair who are contractually required to
  participate in the waste reduction program.
   This includes using paper products instead
    of polystyrene and recycling cardboard
     and beverage containers. Fairgrounds
     staff may fine vendors for non-
     compliance.
        For off-site composting, Del Mar
     staff provide food vendors with unlined,
     covered 90-gallon plastic carts to collect
     food discards. Staff daily haul the
     containers on flat-bed trucks to Solana
      Recyclers, a local composting company
      with whom the fairgrounds has had a
       long-term relationship. Solana
       designates a spot next to a partially
        completed windrow where Del Mar
        staff unload compostables. Solana
         staff then cover new material with
         partially completed compost. This
          acts as a biofilter to keep odor to
           a minimum.  Solana operates four
           sites on three farms; finished
          compost is used as fertilizer on
             the fields. Solana can also accept paper
             products, so paper contamination is not a
             problem. Fairgrounds staff pull other
             contaminants out of the food discard
             containers; occasionally Solana staff need to
             remove some additional contaminants.
                 At the Satellite Wagering Facility, patrons
             gather to bet on horse races which they
             watch on satellite television. From mid-
             September through mid-July, approximately
             2,500 people per day, six days a week attend.
             Attendance can be as high as 5,000 for the
             Kentucky Derby and other big races.
                 Since 1997, fruit and vegetable scraps
             from the facility's kitchen have been
             vermicomposted on the racetrack's infield
             farm. Vermicomposting is done by eisneola
                  recessions Coordinator
               Jpel Mar Fairgrounds
               rj?2nd District Agricultural Association
               ^Concessions Department
               iP.O. Box 2668
               •Pgl Mar,CA 92014
               "          8 fax:(619)792-4236
                 impost Program Manager
              Ipjjolana Recyclers
            *"*- 13/N. 0 Cammo Real
              gJrjcinitas,CA 92024
                760) 436-7986
                                               :J

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fefWfl worms in a wood framed box,
which sits directly on the ground. Once
collected from the wagering facility,
   which can provide an almost year-
    round supply of worm food, scraps
     sit for a few days in a container.
     Staff then feed this partially
       decomposed food to the worms.
       Fairgrounds staff feed and water
the worms once a day. A water dripline
for use during dry periods runs through
the box. The box is covered with
cardboard and a shade cloth. The
finished worm compost, or castings, is
used as fertilizer on the fairgrounds.
From January through August 1997,
over 3 tons of food discards were
vermicomposted.
    Cooking oil is collected for
rendering. Darling International, a
rendering company, provides covered
barrels for the oil and collects them
from the grounds, at no cost, as needed.
Vendor participation in this effort is also
contractually required.
     In total in 1996, the fairgrounds
recycled, including composted, 5,294
tons of materials; it sent 929 tons of
trash to the landfill.
Costs/Benefits
   The fairgrounds did not buy any new
   equipment for the off-site
composting program and had no start-
up costs.
    Start-up costs for vermicomposting
were under $500, including the cost of
25 pounds of worms and collection
containers. Soon fairgrounds staff will
need to build an additional worm box.
    Year-round recycling, including
composting, for the fairgrounds and
wagering facility cost about $70,000 in
labor, excluding labor for horse races.
Transportation costs $540 per year. The
fairgrounds currently pays $40-47 per
ton for tipping trash, although costs
have been as high as $70 per ton.
Compost site tipping fees are $17 per
                                     ton. In 1996, total composting costs,
                                     including labor and transportation,
                                     were approximately $24 per ton.
                                          In 1996 the fairgrounds saved over
                                     $232,900 in landfill costs through its
                                     waste reduction program. It earned
                                     over $15,000 in revenue through
                                     aluminum, glass, and cardboard
                                     recycling.
                                          Del Mar staff have the satisfaction
                                     of running an environmentally
                                     responsible fair.


                                     Tips for Replication
                                     •    Mandate participation by all
                                     vendors and staff.
                                     •    Develop good working
                                     relationships with an established
                                     company.
Mm
^m«^^^^^^~
5. Sector
^- Attendance 1996
Program Summary, 1 996
j >, ii
Fairgrounds
1 ,759,659 Fair and Satellite Wagering
I!
i *
•1
•to  *« ,  1 1 1*1   ^   ,* n  i
I   Start date
•pp*  *jii  . _i  n,    I   .
"Dedicated Employees*
pi  Method
!* Materials collected
at.
•                          ii
j   Part of comprehensive waste
  P"wr^!rts»?ro9ran??    ,'
    Jotal waste generated (TRY)
pir,  / H n'l •   I   t  d '   Ijit
|(M ., J|J1  M'l.lli    ill h.i L |   . r  i
i_ .   -     ' .       -   .
f^ Food discards generated (TRY)
  Facility (estimated)
fig^»"^  '
 2 piusJ"2 "half-time employees during the fair
 Off-site windrow composting; on-site
, verjuicpmposting; rendering
 Pre-consumer discards, paper plates, cups,
r  napkins, paper towels; vegetable and
                                                                           .
                                                                          5T
                                                                        IS
                                                                          z.
                                                                        1 3
                                                                        23
                                                                        1 w
                                                                        il
                                                                        f M
Yes
6,223 tons: 5,294 tons recycled,
* '' J including composted; 929 tons
"'"'' l lahdfilled
"!
H Q.
f W
™ 3)
1 "'
*s
                                  51 terns (estimated)
"Food discards recovered (TPY)    38 tons
, Food discards recovered (%)        75% (estimated)
i(T,o^al waste recovered (%)   ,   <    85%
   ICOSTS;	
    Average composting costs          $24 per ton
 5   (hauling and tipping fees)
 JFAverage avoicfed landfill tipping 'fee' $40-47uper ton
 PUP	H^pll'f   r ^H » |  I »HH ^ 	F!B!||;	„;!,.'i-a-H!,!!!   [     	ll.gaSllilllSIIIIMIftS.ITirSJW:, ill I:;: ,!,lll; „ ",ll,li' !;
 \- Net savings                       $ 17-23 per ton
                                                                           1
                                           * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
                                           TPY = tons per year

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002b
June 1998
 Fletcher Allen  Health Care
 Burlington, Vermont
 90% Recovery of Preconsumer Food Discards
    The Medical Center Hospital of Vermont (MCHV) Campus of Fletcher
    Allen Health Care delivers approximately 90% of its food preparation
    scraps and steam table leftovers to an off-site composting facility. The hospital also
    donates produce to a food bank and sends old grease to a rendering facility. Its food discard
    recovery program allows Fletcher Allen to save approximately $1,400 per year in landfill
    hauling and tipping fees and to support a local farm.
 Program Description

   Kitchen staff at the MCHV Campus of
   Fletcher Allen Health Care prepare 4,000
 meals a day for patients and cafeteria patrons
 at the 500-bed facility. Kitchen staff place
 food preparation discards and leftovers from
 cafeteria steam tables into 64-gallon toters
 every Monday through Friday. Leftovers
  from plates are not collected because
   separating out post-consumer compostables
    from individual patient rooms is difficult,
     and because staff need to be extra careful
     about keeping sanitary conditions in this
     hospital setting.
        Hospital housekeeping staff bring
     full toters to an organic farm run by the
     Intervale Foundation where discards are
     windrow composted. Intervale is a
     non-profit  organization that runs many
      programs  including the Intervale
      Composting Project, a partnership
       between Intervale and the Chittenden
       (VT)  Solid Waste District, with
       Intervale the managing partner. The
        project accepts food scraps from
         hundreds of large and small
          businesses in addition to horse
          manure from a farm, leaves, and
          yard trimmings. Because the
          project is located near residential
          communities. Intervale staff only
             turn windrows when the wind is blowing away
             from more populated areas. The material takes
             about 10 months to compost. It is then
             screened to remove large pieces and used on
             Intervale farms. It is also sold to area businesses
             and gardeners and through mail order.
                 During the year it took Intervale to
             receive a permit to accept commercial
             discards, hospital staff were trained in
             separation of compostable items as well as in
             proper storage and handling procedures.
             Staff were already separating out recyclables
             to send to the hospital's recycling facility
             located in a nearby town. Separating food
             discards was not a major change in their daily
             routine. All new staff are trained in separating
                Contacts:
                 ^  r-
                 ivjr.onrnental Health
                 Coordinator
                 fice of Community Health Improvement
              *"9etcher Allen Health Care
               jjgommuntty Health Improvement
               HJHC Campus, Arnold 4410
                      n,VT 05401
                    656-2399 fax:(802)656-5985
                     hshaner@aolcom
               BAjasteTeam Leader
               uBetcher Allen Health Care
               WTCojchester Avenue
                 rlmgton,W 05401
               |C8Q2) 656^4886 fax (802) 656-2790
                                               J

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recytlables, including compostables.
    The hospital housekeeping staff's
waste team makes daily trips to the
recycling facility in a 19-foot box truck;
trips to the Intervale farm, about 1 mile
off the route, were added when
Fletcher Allen began composting. The
truck is standard dock height, making it
       easy for staff to wheel heavy
       toters on and off. After
       emptying toters, the waste
        team disinfects them at the
      recycling facility with a hospital
     grade disinfectant. Fletcher. Allen
      has had no odor or vector
   problems. The hospital's Waste
Specialist attributes this to "keeping
our compost moving,"  and to cleaning
the toters daily.
    Kitchen staff collect grease in
containers, which are emptied into a
ISO-gallon tank. Baker Commodities, a
rendering company, picks up the tank
at no cost to Fletcher Allen, and sends
it to one of its facilities for processing.
    The hospital donates fruit and
vegetables to a local food bank.

Costs/Benefits
   Start-up costs were minimal. In 1997,
   Fletcher Allen pays per-ton tip fees
of $25 at the compost facility and $86
at the landfill plus a $16 hauling charge
for both recovered food discards and
trash.
    Fletcher Allen buys $1,000 of
produce wholesale per month from the
farm, allowing patients to eat locally
grown, pesticide-free produce. Once a
week, employees can buy organically
grown produce from a farm cart
brought to the hospital.
    The program provides good
public relations in the community and
fits in with the hospital's waste
reduction policy.  As one of 6,000
hospitals in the United States, which in
total produce one to two percent of
the country's solid waste, Fletcher
Allen Health Care staff believe
composting to be part of the
hospital's mission to provide for the
health of the community.
                                    Tips for Replication

                                    •   Know what's going on at your
                                    facility before you begin any program.
                                    Calculate your baseline operation in
                                    tons and costs. If you don't measure
                                    your success, the program will be
                                    invisible.
                                    •   Look for existing infrastructure or
                                    processes within the system on which
                                    to piggyback your program. This will
                                    make program costs small add-ons
                                    rather than whole new costs.
                                    •   Train food service workers well,
                                    and well ahead of program
                                    implementation.
                                    •   Place signs on containers.
                                    •   Assign program responsibility to
                                    somebody. To ensure program success,
                                    one person needs to oversee it.
   i
                     Program Summary, 1997
               T/. T .......... ,,:j,,| ..... ,„„„,,, '-"'»; ^                 ^pSl,. ^|^J » ^|i"  , !,
Sector
ll	gyefageTiumber of meals prepared 4,000 meals per day 	"
f^Start'date  	;	,.,„,„,,,, jl,^,^	^	t	 (ii,	,	;jiii
!*:, Dedicated Employees*   -•--—   ""0.5™    "  -—-• — "—
•	• - Methods
                                SfF-site windrow composting; rendering;
                                                                    r '= ' 1 i' i ' ;j '; '™"S (S
                                                                     -"• -•*•-•  §•

                                                                    ' ............. '
                                                                        !.! =:
                                                                       •43
"r:"",Materials coljected."	'_	_	k§chen,scraps; cooking oil; precbnsumer	  '  : t?
   Part of comprehensive waste

     eduction program?
                                                             """"	"	'	'	"	"""" "•¥
                                              =;sM!ra"n?;':s^s'lES^xr.=™.nila;'"
   Total,waste recovered' ftPY)
                                33%lestirnated)
 sTotalwastere covered	|%|
   COSTS:
                                     sigBRiii^
  ^ye^gecbinpostc'osiisThauling	541 per ton
     and tipping fees)
 I Average avoided landfill hauling   $ 102 per ton
 v. and tipping fees
   Net savings                     $61 per ton

   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
   TPY = tons per year
                                                                     ""'i
                                                                        t.

                                                                     -•-i

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 United States
 Environmental Protection
 Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002C
June 1998
 Frost Valley YMCA
 Clary ville, New York
 100% Recovery of Food Discards
     Using a static aerobic composting system, this 6,000-acre residential
     educational and recreational facility in the  Catskill Mountains
     composts 100% of the food discards from its kitchen and dining room. From 1990,
     when Frost Valley began its comprehensive waste reduction program, to 1997, the facility
     reduced its total solid waste by 53% (by weight). Through food recovery, Frost Valley now
     realizes a net savings of $5,200 annually and provides a unique educational opportunity to
     thousands of visitors per year.
Program Description

   Frost Valley runs environmental education
   programs and a summer camp, as well as
hosts conferences throughout the year. About
30,000 people per year stay at this facility for
periods of one to seven nights. During the
 summer when camp is in session, the kitchen
  serves 800 people a total of approximately
   2,400 meals daily.
       In the late 1980s, as waste disposal
    costs steadily rose, Frost Valley sought
      alternatives to landfilling its waste.
     When a waste assessment found food
     to be the greatest contributor to the
    waste stream, Frost Valley decided to
    implement a composting program.
       Kitchen staff put all food preparation
     scraps, meat, bones, and paper towels
      in unlined 30-gallon plastic cans in the
      kitchen.  Guests deposit their leftovers
      in an unlined can in the dining room.
       Staff stationed in the dining room
       during meals educate guests and
        help them with food recovery
        procedures.
               Staff bring filled cans to a
          refrigerated room adjacent to the
          dining hall. When they have
          collected approximately 30 cans,
          they empty the cans into a
             Knight standard feed mixer, which holds up to
             6 tons of material. Staff wash cans after each
             use. During the summer with camp in session,
             it takes 3-4 days to amass one mixer load of
             material; during the fall and winter it takes 2
             to 2 1/2 weeks.
                In addition to food, Frost Valley YMCA
             composts anything organic, including yard
             trimmings and lumber. Large items such as
             lumber are put in a hydraulic grinder and
             shredded before being added to the mixer.
                Staff weigh food and other material going
             into the mixer and then add an equal amount
             of wood chips as a bulking agent. The wood
             chips add carbon, creating a proper
             carbon/nitrogen ratio.  After mixing, materials
             are piled in a holding bay in the facility's
             Resource Management Center. Wood chips
             piled around six-inch PVC perforated pipes
             line the bottom of the bay. On top of that,
            staff layer the mixer contents and wood chips.
                ontact:
              ||\sj,pgiate Executive Director for Programs
              ^jpstVajleyYMCA
              JOOO Frost Valley Road
              lSaryviHe,NY 12725
              *" pi 41985-2291
                 CiT4) 985-0056

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Fans attached to the pipes cool the
piles and add oxygen.
    Materials stay in these piles for
approximately 13 weeks until the
volume, moisture, and temperature
levels have all dropped. Staff then use a
front-end loader to put material in a
             modified trommel grain
             separator, which
             separates out larger
      ft   material that has not
           completely broken down.
       Material that has gone through
      the separator is windrow
composted for 13-15 weeks.
    Frost Valley has no contamination
or odor problems. Wood chips control
odor, and because the composter and
bays are Inside, there are no vector
problems.

Costs/Benefits
   Frost Valley raised $250,000 for
   composting equipment and site,
educational facilities and equipment,
and development before beginning the
project One of the greatest program
costs was building the attached
classroom, greenhouse, and gardens
used to share the program with the
thousands of students and families that
visit Frost Valley every year. Other costs
associated with the program include
electricity, fuel, and miscellaneous
operating costs. This totaled
approximately $500 in FY97.
    In 1997, as a result of food
recovery, Frost Valley avoided
approximately $9,700 in waste disposal
costs. It also derives revenue from the
sale of recycled materials such as
cardboard. Since implementation of its
waste reduction program, including
composting, Frost Valley has reduced
the number of trips to the landfill to
empty the dumpsterfrom 16 to 10 per
year. In addition, composting is
continuously used as an educational
program. The educational value of this
program is hard to measure in dollars.
Because it draws visitors to  the facility, it
has been very successful in  generating
additional dollars for other
environmentally related projects on the
                                        property such as composting toilets
                                        and wood chip technology for heating
                                        buildings. In addition, as guests learn
                                        more about the project and its benefits,
                                        they become more interested and
                                        invested in composting as a method of
                                        handling food discards.
                                             Landscaping projects and an on-
                                        site green house and organic garden
                                        demonstrate uses of finished compost.


                                        Tips for Replication
                                        •    Make it easy for guests to
                                        understand your program and its value.
                                        Although it initially cost more to build
                                        the classroom, this educational space is
                                        an important component of
                                        composting at Frost Valley.
                      Program Summary, 1997
 p,fl
 I—Sector'  	7'	"	I 7!7'	7 Residential education facility
   i Number of meals per year          485,666 (estimated)
  ^ Start date  	"	1990	>£
                                    '°:r:	:	;	'	,	*::.	;;	:::	.:	*:	;	::;:;H
jgif piteriais.coiiected'	[ i	'	Bi [:r	'"	Pre- and post-consumer food discards; yard   ^' "^
a±as:>^^=±a^plpn^4l^USi%UMiU_Sn£mMvOT4mmMn4iBp^H4' trirniTlinQS/ lumber                          ; -r
     ilr1' f '"f! r"!!': rMS' iB'^l'nCT'r'fl/S, 15! I.'" "Ift.! n.'Bii'S--'S!W        v";,,1''.'	• '.i. .j.,1 v,  j r u _, ;,,,	 ., i_^ ••;;,  .;';_|Li.;, a ^-
     	'	''	-"'""plreiiJensijye waste'"	"	7^?	"	""	"	"	7 """""""""*%
        	ar'S.^''^'.^^'';^"".!!!!1'"'"'?TT'T'W'I/XV".:''"!"^^^ tT'RTOTiW^:^' '""i rir', ,;,";IF;?'^' W'1,^'. f'ifljfi1' 'vh!'J i "^ ">":r; '' .^ii'W-M i'r" 'IMv"'rH* i'W!1,3^! ~
        iuction program?                                                       ; 3
 JI'Tofal wastegeneraiteci1'"'"-"""'"-"-'-•	fgo'Ttons'testirriated)' '''   '         '  '"'""'
                                    gjg>>to •--^--|v^——gj
                                                                      '  '  "'"g:
                                                                      - t:tl,:i rt:^^^ffiij!|| ~
                              IKIIlBiiiaiWflSf^fHjiilflll^BB ii*wk*« %fi Wip i^i ^ flHififc 1^:7,1; ,*^K,' 'ji;yi*': 'I»HI- ,: ;^i ff'hSff^!"*»KH^
   I Food and other organic            80 tons (estimated)
   	kl?31scards recovered (TP/) ' T '  '   '  * M r        	'""	•	'"
  I Food discards recovered (%)
  ifotal waste recovered! (TPY)*
  r1/	L-        ?         T    1

  i COSTS:
                                     100%
                                     100 tons (estimated)"
                                                                              i
 111 Average avoided landfill hauling   $121 per ton
 SSff^Ufd,tipping fee
 •p«4Bn4iiiiipAiiuflHifeii niiHiiikim 141 mill i KM iMHiHi MMManuin i^n Mb UM«I^ l»d	fi!
 BE Net, savings**                     $65 per ton
                                                                       *S,»pi«
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-53Q-F-98-002d
June 1998
Green Workplace
Government of Ontario
70% Recovery of Food Discards
     In 1991, the Government of Ontario, Canada, created the Green
     Workplace Program (GWP). The GWP facilitates waste reduction, resource
     conservation, and environmentally responsible purchasing in provincial facilities.  An
     integral part of the GWP's waste reduction programs, composting diverted approximately
     1,500 metric tons (1,650 US. tons) of food discards from landfills in FY96.  From all its
     composting programs combined (in-vessel, on-site, and off-site), the Government of Ontario
     avoided C$ 150,000 in trash disposal costs in FY96. Of this avoided cost, C$8,580 was from
     its in-vessel program.
Program Description  .

     When audits showed that food and wet
     waste constituted up to 70% of the
waste stream of institutional facilities, the
GWP began nine projects aimed at
  developing composting expertise and
   demonstrating on-site composting
   systems. These sites employ a variety of
     compost methods, including windrow,
     aerated static pile, and large scale
     vermiculture. In total, the sites handle
     225 kg (496 Ibs.) to 2,750 kg (6,064 Ibs.)
     of food and other organic material each
     week. Based on the success of these first
     projects, GWP has expanded
     composting to 27 government facilities.
        The Ontario Government set up a
      Greening Demonstration Fund to
       purchase and test environmental
        technologies. Through this fund,
        GWP purchased an in-vessel
         composting unit made by Wright
          Environmental Inc., an Ontario
          company. Located on the grounds
          of the Ontario Science Center, this
           in-vessel system accepts food
          discards (including  dairy, meat,
             and fish) from seven different government
             facilities. A special building, accessible to
             visitors, houses the composter.
                 Diners in four correctional facilities and
             three government office buildings and
             restaurants put their food discards into "food
             only" containers. Kitchen staff refrigerate this
             food, along with food preparation scraps in
             specially marked 65-gallon containers. On
             semi-weekly collection days, kitchen staff
             wheel containers to the loading dock for pick-
             up. In a unique arrangement, staff and clients
             from a local detention center collect and
             transport the discards to the composter.
                 At the in-vessel site, detention center
             clients add food discards and bulking agent
             (such as wood chips and paper towels) to the
             mixer in appropriate proportions. Material
             spends 24 to 30 days moving through the
              Erhe Green Workplace Program
                   po RealtyCorporation
              	iay Street, 15th floor
              Plbronto, Ontario M5G 2E5, Canada
                    585-7541

-------
vessel. It is then screened and stored in
an on-site container which, when full, is
taken and emptied at a municipal
windrow site. Material is windrowed
and cured for three to four weeks.
    When the project began, staff from
Wright Environmental trained Ministry
of Correctional Services employees to
run the composting machine. They also
trained detention center clients in
proper handling and transportation
procedures. GWP staff provide training
to kitchen and other building
employees on how to prepare food
discards for composting.
    The composter is also being used
to test the viability of starting
residential and commercial food discard
collection programs.
Costs/Benefits
Note: all cost figures are in Canadian
dollars. All tons are metric tons.
   The machine cost $ 180,000, and costs
   $50 per ton to run.  In FY96,
transportation to the Ontario Science
Center cost approximately $49 per ton;
              landfill  hauling and
                 tipping costs were
                $138 per ton.  In
              FY96,the in-vessel unit
      composted 220 tons of food
  discards, avoiding $8,580 in waste
disposal costs.
    Based on landfill costs and
participating facilities at the time of
purchase in 1992, GWP projected a 4.6-
year pay-back period on the composter.
Since 1992, both transportation and
landfill costs have gone up, with
transportation costs increasing more
than landfill costs. In addition, in early
1997, a facility that had contributed 2
tons per day to the compost stream
stopped preparing food on-site and
discontinued participation in the
program. In late 1997, however, another
facility will join, adding 4-10 tons per
week. In fall 1997, GWP is predicting  a
6-year pay-back period. As more
material is diverted from landfills and
composted, the in-vessel unit becomes
more cost-effective.
    The Toronto Parks Department
saves money by using compost instead
of buying soil, peat moss, mulch and
fertilizer to maintain lawns and gardens.
                                        Tips for Replication
                                        •   Know how much and what type of
                                        food discards are generated at your
                                        facility. Determine your current food
                                        discard collection and disposal costs.
                                        •   Calculate how much the preferred
                                        composting system will cost (aim for a
                                        pay-back period of five years or less).
                                        •   Ensure that you have sufficient
                                        budget to cover system purchase and
                                        maintenance.
                                        •   Consider accepting food discards
                                        from many sites to increase program
                                        cost-effectiveness.
                                        •   Train staff to use the composting
                                        method correctly.
                                        •   Publicize your program; publish
                                        results.
       In-Vessel  Composter Program Summary, FY96
 I;	:!'ri, 'i'i'T-ilii-i-iii	jf^f-m-pS	iiii-B.^
|S; Sector	i	Spvernment (7 .buildmcfs)
  |D£djcatied--empJpyees*
                                   <0.25
                                   Jn-vesset (continuous flow) and windrow
                                   	~~~
                                        iil'Materiais'coirected .......  " ....... ...... "    Fruit and vegetable trimmings, plate .............
                                        fclidil ...... ........ ,:{;,{ ......... i!j!:,:,|i;,,::i: ..... i ...... i;!; ...... :|ii::is3i^^                                 ...... jfc»>duitittu£uuJaUtt&.idaitai:Alifc
                                        " ...... ............................ [[[ ...... .................... - ...... " ................... - ...............................  .....   ........... t-jt^_ ..... -irdairy products, fish, meat, bones
                                        „   reduction program?              Yes
                                        fc?"1 5f i; V^s i1 .», ' ;^ 'I',-1" 1^, .(Sx,?1 aviir.*T'»,S''waT^aBa;n^*i»i«
                                        "  Total food discards generated (TPY)  3 1 4 metric tons (345 O.S. tons)
   RESULTS:
    ood discards recovered TPY
            4ICM£fc
     od discards recovered (%)
220 metric tons (242 U.S.tons)
	miHUmmiiumBtmtuiwwiwll^'&iifitik
    fn
                                                . .   .    .
                                   70% from participating sites
                                                «™'-»«™»
-  Average composting costs**       $99 per metric ton
=  Average avoided landfill hauling   $138 per metric ton
•••  and tipping fees
--  Net savings
                                  •aiffi'ifi-insiSssiasseasKeBaB1' ajr
                                    $39 per metric ton

   Tons are metric tons. 1 metric ton = 1.1 U.S.tons. Cost figures are in Canadian dollars.
   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the composting program.

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W) •
EPA-530-F-98-002e
June 1998
Larry's Markets
Seattle, Washington
90% Recovery of Food and Floral Discards
    Larry's Markets recovers approximately 870 tons oforganics annually
    through its off-site composting and rendering programs. Stores also donate
    canned goods to local charities. The chain realizes a net savings of $40-$55 per ton of
    material recovered (about $41,000 per year).
Program Description

  In 1991, the head of the Environmental
  Affairs Program at this Seattle-based
grocery chain performed an audit and found
organics to be the largest part by volume of
its waste stream. In order to reduce costs
and expand its efforts towards total
environmental responsibility, Larry's Markets
 began using energy-efficient lighting and
  heating and cooling systems, donating
   canned goods, and recycling materials
    including-food and floral discards for
     composting.
        As part of Larry's Markets'waste
     reduction efforts, a project team
     including management from all five
     stores worked to create a food recovery
     program that would fit into employee
     daily activities. Recycling, including
     composting, is now part of every
      employee's job description. In the
       produce department, staff put
       unsaleable produce and trimmings
       in unlined plastic tubs, which they
        wash periodically. The tubs sit on
        the bottom level of the cart staff
         use to  stock produce. When tubs
          are full, staff put them on a
          central cart which holds eight
          tubs. They then bring full
          central carts outside and dump
          them into 1 1/2-cubic-yard
             containers. These containers used to serve
             as garbage dumpsters; now stores keep their
             garbage in compactors until it is picked up,
             less than once a week. Previously, garbage
             had been picked up twice a week.
                 At the beginning, hauling compostables
             from stores was problematic. The hauling
             company experimented with various trucks
             and containers, but due to the weight of wet
             organics, trucks often reached their hauling
             weight limit before they had been to every
             store. This problem was solved by splitting
             the pick-up route between two trucks. In
             1995, Larry's Markets contracted with two
             additional companies that haul organics and
             run composting sites. These companies pick
             up from stores near their sites. With three
             haulers picking up compostables, no hauler
             has a problem with weight limits. The
             discards are composted with yard trimmings,
             soil, and other organics to produce topsoil.
             Closing the loop, Larry's Markets uses the
             topsoil in  its landscaping.
               Contact:
               Environmental Affairs, Planning and
                 Information Services
               Larry's Markets
                .99 120th Street, NE
               B(?Hevue,WA 98005
               [206)453-5031 ext.403

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    Odors in the summer were a
problem at first until the stores moved
to more frequent pick-up of their
compostables. Now, they are picked
up two or three times a week from
each store. Larry's Markets has had no
vector problems.
    The chain sends meat and fish
bones, fat and skin to a rendering
facility. Staff in the meat and fish
departments store trimmings in tubs in
a AQ*F cooler. Once a week Darling
Delaware Company empties these tubs.
Depending on the current market,
Larry's Markets pays either nothing or
1            0
    etail Sales per year
^ Start date
     dicated Employees*
    i f j"T""THmi* t'
    flethod
     i i,  j j, i; -1  . I-     w.» b
H Materials collected
r*" „. ,.„,_    T,, ,  j .     n r   . ,
     ii  i   it

^  Part of comprehensive waste
i|,j reduction program?
""sTTotaf waste generated (TPY)
 Jyi| ( j    L m ^ [ i   ^i        w ^j i
  j Food, foral, waxed cardboard
    discards recovered (TPY)


W-RESULTS:
f Food, floral, waxed cardboard
i"  discards recovered (JPY)_
-:  Food, floral, waxed cardboard
PP'dlscards recovered"(%r   ~~
   Total waste recovered
                                  Supermarket
                                  $100 million total, 5 stores
                                  1991
                                ** ^ m ^^ (i^ ^   «         *           *™ f *
                                  0
                                  Off-site windrow composting; rendering;
                                 Bfl donations
                                  Produce "and floral trimmings and spoils,
                                 , ^gj^^^a^^oa^. meat ano> fjj^ dis
                                " h oijf-of-date canned goods

                                  Yes""
                                  3,000 tons, 5 stores
                                  970 tons (estimated)
                                  870 tons: 750 to compost; 120 to rendering
                                    (estimated)
                                  90%"
                                                                         •
                                                                         J
                                                                      »•  Is-
                                  64%
 • COSTS:
 WAverage composting costs
 1. Average avoided landfill hauling
 „ and tipping fees
 fc^ef sayings       ^        '^~
              $55-65 per ton
              $105-$110perton


             ~$4d-55l"pert6n
             ', n. ,	.>« I . WHj-Jrtl'r,, i ,lllt ilt., ,,,.,'.!	r'..
                                                    V
                                                    is
                                                    1
   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
   TPY = tons per year

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002f
June 1998
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
75% Recovery of Food Discards
    Students  and  employees  at Middlebury College  collected
    approximately 288 tons of food discards for on-campus composting in 1996.
    This represented approximately 75% of the college's total food discards. As a result of its
    compostingprogram,Mlddleburyavoidsapproximately$137pertoninlandfillhaulingand
    tipping fees. In 1996,this led to a net savings of over $27,000.
Program Description

   fter a waste assessment found food to be
   the heaviest component of the waste
stream, Facilities Management staff at
Middlebury College (student population
2,000) decided to implement a pilot
composting program to divert food discards.
 The pilot was successful and the composting
  program now involves all five dining halls,
   three kitchens, and three snack bars.
    Although Middlebury began its program
     by sending material off-site for
     composting, in 1996, due to price
     changes in both trash and composting
     fees, the College began composting on-
     site instead.
       The kitchens prepare between 3,400
     and 3,600 meals  per day year-round. In
     each dining hall, dish room staff put
      food preparation discards as well as
      post-consumer leftovers into small
      "food only" trash cans on wheels.
       College Dining Services and General
        Services staff empty these, along
        with waxed cardboard and pre- and
         post-consumer discards collected
         from the snack bars into a
          compactor outside one of the
          kitchens. Staff empty the
          compactor twice a month and
          take discards to on-site aerated
             static piles for composting. The College is
             seeking funding for an in-vessel composter.
                Middlebury has also had success
             collecting food discards at special events. In
             the spring of 1997, about 4,000 people
             attended a graduation picnic at which food
             discards were collected and later composted.
             Picnickers brought all their discards to tables
             where Facilities Management staff sorted it
             into "recycle,""compost," and "trash" barrels.
                The recovery rate at the dining halls and
             kitchens is very high. It is lower at snack bars
             where customers bus and separate their own
             discards, and where many customers buy food
             to go.
                To help avoid contamination of
             compostable organics, Facilities Management
             staff notify dining services  managers when
             contaminants such as plastic wrappings, metal
             wire from wooden crates, and metal rings
             from ice cream containers are found among
             the food discards. Managers are responsible
             for keeping food discard containers relatively
                Contact:
              ^Environmental Coordinator
              ^Service Building
              jJVHddlebury College
              y/fiddlebury.VT 05753
                  0443-5043
               :ax: (802) 443-5753
               - -' T..V-J

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              M:
contaminant free. The program does
accept a bit of contamination, as
compost is screened at the end. When
staff screen compost, they rent a
machine with a rotating mesh barrel.
The mesh lets small soil particles
through and captures larger
contaminants.
    The College used to have two
compactor containers. Due to odor
problems, however, one compactor was
removed and one of the satellite sites
stopped separating out compostables.
To mitigate odor from the remaining
compactor container, the College
installed a filter. In summer 1997 staff
painted it white so that it would not
absorb as much heat, thereby cutting
down on organic processes until the
             material is transported
               to the compost site.
               This reduced odor.  In
                a continuing effort to
                 lessen the odor
                  problem, Facilities
        Management staff are working
to develop a system for daily collection
from the compactor container. This,
they believe, will completely eliminate
odor problems.
             Costs/Benefits
                  iddlebury College
                  composts an average
              of 24 tons of food
               discards per month. In
               1996, the cost per ton
                for composting,
                including tipping fees,
                trucking, labor, fuel,
                 and supplies was $42.
                 For recycling it was
             $145; for trash, $137. Asa
  result of its high food recovery rate,
  Middlebury realized net savings of
  $27,000.
                                                                             Tips for Replication
                                                                             •   Educate staff on how to compost
                                                                             and why.
                                                                             •   Keep people involved in the
                                                                             program with an ongoing dialogue
                                                                             between the Environmental
                                                                             Coordinator and food service
                                                                             employees.
                                                                             •   Commit to solving problems rather
                                                                             than saying "forget it" when problems
                                                                             arise. Keep trying, even if the program
                                                                             is not perfect at first. Let problems
                                                                             serve as catalysts for improvement.
                    Program Summary, 1996
                                                                        '1°
                                                                           I
                                                                           I
   ij^                                           	li,.,L:	:::!;i!,.7,SLi!!i;iiLL.j!,!',!, i!,!!l,
 j, ,^j,.,^,»^^...,,|..,,,, .«|j^^.^^,_—.^^-..^|—----.-^^^-^.-g-
 '!!::;'-:;;~'	'' •••'	:|ii":;i	"j:::; »::|1 '&•	f'!'-s	fH™"'"^*'1?;**'':';. Stchens
                                '*T993 ofteite composting; 1996 on-site
            i;i|,|i:,	^^^
H; placated 'Emploees
                                  f-%jiiK,r:iiij«^

                                  "'ofvsite'windrow composting
                                  lf!|cFien scraps, pre- and post-consumer
JSK'.Part of comprehensive waste
fergl'l^urtjon^pjram?
|L!Tptal waste'generaleS (f P?F
                                  Yes

   Food discards generated
   	:	«;^^
1	ills.,,	.(,r	Tts
                                           u
  .RESULTS:
                                  288 tons
 	IStafwaSerecoveFed(Tlr'V)"	725tons
 ^,,1^1 afjiwaste recovereid,{%)___ ._	64%
 -  Average composting costs
   COSTS:
   ^fd--,r, ^7;
   Average
 pSIrage avbidedTandfij!' riauJirig "~ $137 peTtbh

 CjNet saying s"*" *  ''""' '*"	^ "'"""' ?95 per 'ton""
 -r-K


' ---#
   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
   TRY = tons per year

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   United States
   Environmental Protection
   Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002g
June 1998
   New York State Department
   of Correctional Services
   (DOCS), New York
r>  90% Recovery of Food Discards
       In  1997, 47 of 70 correctional facilities in the New York State
       Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) composted at 30 sites, which accept
       from 1/2 to 4 tons of food discards a day. Participating facilities recover 90% of their food and
       other organic discards. Through composting, DOCS facilities realize a net savings of $564,200
       per year in avoided disposal costs.
   Program Description

     In 1989, a survey found that food scraps
     comprised 30 percent by weight of DOCS'
   waste stream. A desire to reduce disposal
   costs as well as comply with state waste
   reduction legislation led DOCS to begin its
   composting program. Participating facilities
    prepare approximately 125,000 meals daily
     for an average of 1,000 inmates per facility.
      Kitchen workers put food preparation
      discards in unlined plastic containers;
       inmates put leftovers in a container in
        the dining hall. Full containers are
        refrigerated until inmates take them to
       the composting sites three or four times
       a week.
          By refrigerating the discards, DOCS
       avoids odor problems. At the
        composting sites, discards are mixed
        with bulking material and windrow
        composted. Wood chips made from
         scrap wood produced on the premises
          comprise most of the bulking agent
          Some programs also use yard debris
          from neighboring communities.
              Sites accept chicken bones and
            food containing meat, such as chili.
            Some covered windrows accept
            paper towels and other soiled
            paper; some of the bigger sites
            can handle waxed cardboard.
            Facilities with open windrows do
             not accept paper, as it often blows away,
             creating a litter problem.
                Other than attracting a few birds now
             and then, the facilities have no vector
             problems. To keep vectors to a  minimum,
             DOCS keeps the temperature of the windrow
             piles at 145°F and mixes new food discards
             with a bulking agent immediately upon
             bringing them to the compost site.
                DOCS central office resource management
             staff prepared a training manual addressing
             issues such as bulking ratios, turning frequency,
             and legal aspects of composting programs. In
             addition, central office staff are on-site for the
             first few days of each composting program to
             train staff and trouble shoot.They also train
             new staff. Composting responsibilities are
             integrated into existing job descriptions. Staff
             at each site train inmates in composting
             procedures. Well-trained staff and inmates
             who are invested in the program keep
             contamination to a minimum.
               Contact:
                source Management Director
               ;JYState Department of Correctional
                  Services
             ^Eastern Correctional Facility
                 , Berme Rd.
               iapanoch, NY 12458
             2tl4)j547-1653

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    DOCS kitchen staff collect large
bones and liquid fat in 30- to 50-gallon
barrels provided by a rendering
company. The company retrieves them
every two weeks free of charge and
processes these materials for
manufacture into cosmetics and soaps.

Costs/Benefits
    Despite increased hauling and
    tipping rates, the Department's
trash disposal expenditures decreased
103% in the first seven years of its food
discard recovery program. In FY89,
DOCS spent $2,3 million on trash
disposal. In FY97, DOCS spent
$2,062,477 on trash disposal, avoiding
$2,350,957 In disposal costs through
the Department's recycling (including
composting) programs. In 1997,
handling material for composting costs
approximately $34 per ton. This covers
expenditures on capital equipment,
supplies, and civilian labor, including
the position of Resource Management
         j  Director, which was
         --'  created to oversee the
            program. The average
           landfill tipping fee is $125
          per ton. Net savings through
       composting are approximately
      $91 per ton. Lowered fertilizer
costs at DOCS farms avoids additional
costs.
     Inmates feel positive about the
program. Able to see waste becoming
an end product, inmates feel part of a
productive process that makes sense.
Before the program began, inmates
watched a closed-circuit video on why
composting works, and how it saves
money and resources. Recycling,
Including composting, has become just
another way of doing business at DOCS.
     Three facilities offer inmates
technical training in composting.
Inmates learn the basics of recycling,
such as what to do and where
recyclables (including compostables)
go once they are collected. Inmates
also learn technical aspects of the
processes. Guest speakers explain what
inmates can expect on the job. When
they leave prison, inmates who have
gone through this training will have
skills and some of the language that
qualify them for jobs in recycling,
including composting, facilities.
    DOCS provides communities with
free compost as a community service.
    DOCS uses some finished compost
on its farms, but most is used in inmate
horticulture programs and prison
landscaping. Eighty percent is used in-
house, providing large avoided costs
from not buying green house soil
mixes, peat moss, or mulches.Twenty
percent is used in inmate public service
programs.
                                        Tips for Replication
                                        •   Present a technically sound and
                                        feasible plan before start-up to ensure
                                        success.
                                        •   Involve everyone,from the
                                        superintendent to the commissioner to
                                        the maintenance workers, from the
                                        start. Educate people so they
                                        understand why composting makes
                                        sense both environmentally and
                                        economically. If people understand
                                        why you are offering  a good program,
                                        they will buy into it.
                     Program Summary, FY97
                                   Ori-site Jnd ofrslte i\^dro\«comp6stingii'i
                                   Food preparation discards, leftovers, chicken." J r
,	    	            bones, soiled paper, waxed cardboard         „ 5
|j^^5j!^|jp{np,.yjj;nj|vewas(e'      Yes                                     i§
        [action program?     '"      '   "^  ''        	^	    "  	^   '*|
        '"'Site gSrate3lTP^	H^^^^J" ^M*"™ lH	-. '«"IT. *" T^* tUmJJ *
            "^tner oraanic^iscanls   6,889 tons""" '  1'"*1"  Ji1   '"   *''""""  	T g
   i Food and other organic discards   6,889 tons
   fi"i\KliSBi*"*^'**^"~*'*f * *g;P^g»'i'i»J*SB»i'-l'iP|»iMja!Bi:3'.:'ijrfsti_'«Ks'"cat." f if«»,;af'i', ;ie;jv:*;
                P
   JtSW	fg!'';;:f«(fi;|ssa^^^                                    	•>	wawvt
                                                                      l"""	"
                                                           ,    ,            , ^ ct.
                                        *.«	»	I	H	iJj^,„:*,*'	e«'	.'.iV'" .i*V';""	'	"1 O
                                        rom participating facilities            1 g
                                        fEisatfeftCT**!1^™*^-1**^^              ^

                                                               cnliri waste   "^ ^
                                              rail pffsons *'
                                     .'^TO'f'TJ1:"^;:1 !'™
     verage composting costs         $34 per ton
     '1|i.««s^
      ipfelliliiliib^BlpPln^UMJUH
              _ fees
  jjjiji1,,I1;,,•; '»i;jj;	iiiitiii'iiiiiiiiilia111!!":iiiHiiHi	uv1,!!!!!! a WJMiii;!iii!''•".ill!1 ii|pi|iiilliii!iiiriilliii!|iiiJil!i|i|iiift»il|ii 'i wti?	n" Mbrt"!111 'Ihii«i:• n:i"i	MNi"ii1 ,i:"H ,T.'"I • '.i"-;'i..' Tt,, i	",'li1","i,vr
  i,Ne|,,savings                      $91 per ton
                                                    1 IMF' • nn'miir111"1 thi'Wiii 'riitri'ii-iiiiipiiiiii it" r *p|*irii,ii!'i!!r.»«|"|iiii

                                                       HI,H!I«I-I^ i.*i*w*« i+'-w W' a vi*,»i4i^i«*i-i
..M,i_J
                                                              ^
   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
   TPY = tons per year

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United States ,
Environmental' Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response'
(5306W)
                                                         EPA-530-F-98-002h
                                                         June 1998
San  Francisco Produce
Recycling Program
California
    Begun in 1996, the San Francisco Produce Recycling Program is a
    collaborative effort among many public and private participants—
    the city and county, produce businesses, a farmer, a hauler, a food bank, and a
    composter. From June 1996 to August 1997, this program provided 450 tons of edible food
    to charities, 300 tons of inedible food as animal feed, and 750 tons of food to a composting
    facility.  In that period, food discards came from more than  40 wholesale and retail
    businesses; the program has since greatly expanded.
Program Description

l
  n 1997, the San Francisco Food Bank
  collected more than 60 tons a month of
food from 25 wholesalers at the San Francisco
Produce Terminal and from other city
wholesalers. Food Bank staff collect food in its
original packaging, as long as it is at least 50%
 edible, and transport it in a refrigerated truck
  to their warehouse where volunteers
   separate edible food from inedible food.
    The Food Bank distributes over 37 tons a
     month of edible food to member service
     agencies. A local dairy and heifer farmer
     collects the remaining inedible produce,
     which he and other farmers use as
     animal feed.
        In August 1996, Sunset Scavenger
     Company, a local hauler, began picking
     up some of the inedible produce the
      Food Bank could not collect from the
       produce terminal. Sunset Scavengers
       provided each participating business
       with a 1- or 2-cubic-yard unlined bin
        for its spoiled produce. Vendors
        keep these containers covered to
         avoid vector and odor problems as
         well as scavenging and illegal
          dumping. Sunset Scavengers
          added 12 wholesalers and one
          retailer in October 1996. The
          company began additional pick-
             up from seven large supermarkets in April
             1997 and from 14 Safeway supermarkets in
             fall 1997. It plans to expand to several
             hundred businesses to reach a goal of 8,000
             tons per year. In fall 1997, Sunset Scavengers
             also expanded collection to include waxed
             corrugated cardboard. It hauls discards to
             Richmond Sanitary Compost Facility in
             Richmond, California, where the material is
             windrow composted along with yard
             trimmings. Finished compost is sold, mostly
             to professional landscapers.
                 Before food-related businesses join the
             program, outreach contractors meet with
             employees to provide any needed assistance
             and staff training. The contractor also
             conducts monitoring and follow-up. For
             example, at a new supermarket, the
             contractor meets with the produce section
             supervisor to devise a plan for the store. As
             produce workers already separate out wilted
             lettuce leaves and spoiled fruit into boxes,
                   n|cs Recycling. Coordinator
                  ieUfete Management Program

-------
putting vegetative discards in the
square container provided by the city is
little extra work. Depending on the
supermarket's needs, Sunset Scavengers
will pick up one, two, three, or more
days a week.

Costs/Benefits
 II $97,000 grant from the City and
JnlCounty of San Francisco provided
the San Francisco Food Bank with a
refrigerated truck for produce collection
and a partial year's salary for a full-time
driver. Future grants will help expand
collection and make capital
improvements.  There is no cost to
wholesalers for  food bank and animal
feed services.
    San Francisco residents and
businesses pay  variable trash rates
      based on  frequency of pick-up
       and weight or volume.  These
        trash fees provide funding for
        Sunset Scavengers'organics
       pfck-up, and cover the  cost of
       running  two trucks (as of 1997),
which can accommodate food  discards
from over 200 businesses.
    Benefits of this  program are
manifold. Food service agencies save
money through reduced purchases;
they boost the  nutritional value of the
food they serve. Farmers save money
on feed costs. The Richmond
Composting Facility produces higher
quality compost through this program.
Produce businesses save money
through lower trash costs as well as
through their tax-deductible donations
    to the Food Bank.
    The experience of two Produce
    Terminal vendors—Cooks
     Company and DeMatti Brothers—
     illustrates this program's cost-
      effectiveness to participating
      vendors. Cooks Company cut its
      trash bill by approximately 45%
      within four months of joining
the program. In fall 1997, the company
received trash pick-up once a week.
Previously, trash had been picked up at
least twice a week. DeMatti Brothers
reduced the size of its trash container
by half and reduced the number of
trash pick-ups from four a month to two
a month, reducing its trash bill by 10-
15%.
    For the first year, Sunset
Scavengers, which also collects trash
from the Produce Terminal, did not
charge  businesses for pick-up of
compostables. In fall 1997, it began
charging at a rate that is 25% less than
what businesses pay for trash pick-up.
                                         Businesses that may have been
                                         reluctant to join will have a clear financial
                                         incentive. Sunset Scavengers predicts
                                         that vendors will reduce their total
                                         disposal costs by an average of 10%.


                                         Tips for Replication

                                         •  Place the highest use value on
                                         edible food redistribution. When
                                         developing your program, work with
                                         and support local food donation
                                         organizations to incorporate edible
                                         food recovery.
                                         •  Identify local regional markets for
                                         inedible food, including -farmers and
                                         composters.
                                         «  Work with the hauler to develop a
                                         collection strategy and financial
                                         incentives for participating businesses.
                                         •  Put time into working with
                                         businesses. Provide monitoring and
                                         follow-up. Remind businesses that they
                                         reap many benefits from participating,
                                         including financial and public relations.
                          Program Summary
 ',' "Sector'",''L	'""7".!'7"77   ''7,T """tt.l'RHn dlWriva^ collaborative: city and
 jjhlfMH	•=*=•*	»	iS'SiS*	jiiiftBSiiS^	=„«,,;-«,,=	l—.^ iyj;,-,. >.,••„,;	,•:,"„ ,-.-,-
 **•'!l!.""'!""l!	•.'• -!-•	=3B1 -!1™™*..1'....?*! •J'SS'HEt-^B/nolesalers, a food bank, a farmer, a
 *             '..-•' ,.;. :  ;     •   ".'•'.   hauler, and a composting facility.
   Start date
                                    1996
gj;., .Dgtljicajedi cftjr emplojfees* '        <0.25 plus 0.5 FTE contractor time
';~ Method     ~	  "7",    r~^~~"."TlJJ^!?1sP^.^nfJ;!9n5[Mll^a'.?!?®!'!''"
;;:;:	;	;	:	;__	j^^^;^^;	^:~-^^
IBS, Materials collected         ""	Produce" trimmings, produce
11:.-«:«!!	!'!"	wwi	•FT*OT'i|w'PFW*"*iiBWtBfiww!KWJwrip(BS»)rw|i;'i:rptfai	• ji	«••'••• •*:w::>: > <"'•'
I  Part of comprehensive waste       No
lilTii ll'iirBNIyliiH^ii''^!^	lii'LiMi]	iiiqigiriifii'iiUiifeHiilHlii.. •	' 	™
             igrogram?
,	jEgSrULIS:T
*-' • Food1 discards recovered'(TPY)1"'	!A'' l|p6 tons''|june 1996-August 1997)
   Food discards recovered (%)        <50% from participating vendors
I1   "    " i1     I '  (l   I1!1!""'  I'f'H*!"! lif1   if "Tl	 (     i,  ll(
                                                                             f =
                                                                           	* S
 .  COSTS:
 «  Costs and savings for participating vendors are currently unavailable.
 sn	^	.n	:T-	rrmaicrT.	TFUTT	.-•-••-:.•-!-!•	t	g—;^;-;;;;rJ-.-g-g:;;JE-s-;rCTr^^^^^

   * A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
   FTE = full-time equivalent        NA = not available    TPY = tons per year

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-98-002i
June 1998
Shop  Rite Supermarkets
New Jersey
80% Recovery of Food Discards
and Other Organics
     In New Jersey, 25 Shop Rite stores divert 3,000 tons of organics per
     year. They collect a wide array of materials for off-site composting and rendering.
     As a result, participating stores divert approximately 80% of their organics to a composting
     facility and 90% of their total waste stream through recycling, including composting. On
     average, stores realize a net savings of $57 per ton in avoided disposal costs.
   Shop Rite Supermarkets began a pilot
   composting program in 1994. By summer
 1997, Shop Rite's compost program had
 grown to include 25 stores. They off-si'ie
 compost a wide variety of organic materials,
 including floral and produce trimmings and
 spoils, out-of-date bakery items, old seafood,
 soiled paper products, waxed corrugated
 card board, food spills, and out-of-date dairy
  and deli products. Composting
   responsibilities are integrated into
    employee job descriptions. Each store
     runs its composting program differently,
     but typically staff in each department
     collect compostables in waxed
     corrugated cardboard boxes. These
     boxes are not recyclable but are
     compostable. Using original produce
     boxes to collect compostable produce
     allows the stores to avoid buying
      special collection containers. Staff put
      the whole, full box in a compactor,
       which is emptied once or twice a
        week.
            Compactors vary in size, with
         the largest holding 20 tons. These
          compactors were previously used
          for garbage.  Because of the high
          diversion rate, stores now only
           need small dumpsters (12 cubic
           yards) for their garbage. A
             hauling company takes compacted organics
             to a composting site where they are ground
             with yard trimmings and windrow
             composted. The nutrient-rich finished
             compost is screened to remove contaminants.
             It is sold to farmers, golf courses,
             municipalities, and people involved in land
             reclamation.
                 Shop Rite has no major problems with
             odors, vectors, or contamination. The
             compost site allows 5% contamination per
             load; it rejects highly contaminated loads,
             forcing stores to pay the additional costs of
             landfill disposal; Compactors are kept locked
             until a designated time each day when staff
             are directed to unload their compostables.
             This allows management to watch and ensure
             there are no contaminants.
                 Rendering companies provide collection
             barrels and pick up meat product discards at
             no cost.
                   ^-    __    „
              BContact:
                   jer, Environmental Affairs
               /akefern Foods
               Shop Rite Supermarkets
                iHorthfjeld Ave
              •Edison, NJ 08818
              "~

-------
                                     Tips for Replication
                                     »   Analyze your waste management
                                     practices; understand the economics of
                                     your garbage.
                                     •   Manage your organics recovery
                                     program on a continuing basis. Pay
                                     attention to it. The process does not
                                     run on its own.
                                     •   Train employees well.
Costs/Benefits
   Start-up and operating costs for the
   organics recovery program are
minimal. Most stores already had
compactors, which they used for
garbage and did not need to buy
collection containers. Stores also avoid
disposal costs for the waxed cardboard
boxes, which are composted along with
organics. There are some costs for
            employee training and for
            signs explaining the
            program. Some stores
           have bought and installed
          an additional compactor.
        Through its food recovery
      program, each store avoids
$15,000 to $40,000 per year in disposal
costs. The lower cost avoidance may be
at a smaller store or in an area with a
lower tipping fee. New Jersey Shop Rite
stores pay an average tipping fee of $90
per ton for garbage and $33 per ton for
composting. Hauling fees for garbage
and recovered organics range from $11
to $17 per ton.
    Store employees typically live in
the same town as the store in which
they work. Participating in this hands-
on recycling program allows them to
contribute to their community by
reducing its waste stream and
recovering valuable raw materials.
fii
                   Program Summary, 1997
   ateras collected
                                 Supermarket
                                 4.3 billion - Wakefern Food Corp7Shop Rite
^^w^^^^^-s-j^j^^^jparticipating stores 1997
          	"o
                                          private
                                    -.               ,  .
                                    sjtewipdro^, composting,
                                    y|eg rendering
                                  'L.'.haulegi
                                   Floral and produce trimmings, out-of-date
                                   f fpoji, soiled paper, waxed corrugated
      II	Li	;_	!	",	L."	',	'	,.',	"	cardboard
  Partof comprehensive waste
   [fejuctiQg'program?   " """	Yes
  •Total waste generated (TPY)       4,167 tons (projected)
  • Food and other organic discards
  !:7§eSirited"(TPY)           	3,750 tons (projected)
                                                                          If
                                                                         I.+ rc
                                                                          ] 3*
                                                                         1 '*. i^-
                                                                          f
                                                                         .,43
                                                                         I?
U^JJJ^^g^^QYga^'dijjjyjj  "  3|ood tons (projected)

 Food and other organic discards    80%

               ayered (TPY)        3f750 tons (projected)
  Average avoided landfill tip fee
jpjet savings
                                 $90 per ton
                                 $57 per ton
 •Wakefern Food Corporation is the largest retailer-owned supermarket food cooperative in the United
 States, with 190 supermarkets trading under the Shop Rite banner.
 ** A dedicated employee is one whose primary responsibility is working with the food discard program.
 Shop Rite did not need to hire anyone specifically to run this program.
 TPY = tons per year

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