Why Should YOU Compost? MA Organics Waste Ban
This summer has been abuzz about composting and organic waste diversion in leading cities across the nation.
Today, October 1, 2014, marks the day that Massachusetts Commercial Organics Waste Ban goes into effect. After more than two years of planning, the day has arrived!
What does this ban have to do with YOU?
This ban is the first in the nation of its kind. It establishes regulations for commercial generators of organic and food wastes. The regulations require that any institution that generates over 1 TON (2,000 lbs) of food waste per week divert the material from the landfill, and from incineration.
The regulation will affect mainly institutions, colleges and universities, hospitals, supermarkets, hotels, nursing homes, corrections centers, and food processing/service companies. It will also affect property managers and building owners of properties where waste from multiple food-waste generating tenants/spaces (restaurants, cafes, office kitchenettes) are aggregated at a final point of waste collection.
In total, the disposal ban affects approximately 1,700 businesses and institutions. Though it does not affect smaller restaurants, cafes, office buildings (below the 2,000 lb/week threshold), we are seeing A LOT of businesses gaining interest on getting ahead of the composting curve. Residents are jumping on board too!
“The food waste ban provides a win-win-win-win-win-win for residents and businesses in the Commonwealth,” said MassDEP Commissioner David W. Cash. “It will reduce waste, save money on disposal costs, create renewable energy, cut emissions from fossil fuel use, produce a rich fertilizer for farm use, and grow jobs and stimulate the economy.”
More Resources on the Organics Waste Ban:
- EOEEA Press release from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Patrick administration.
- New MassDEP website – MANY relevant resources from the MA Department of Environmental Protection and RecyclingWorks.
- BioCycle Magazine article – insights on successful organic waste diversion and collection. Featuring: segment on Save That Stuff!
- Boston Globe magazine article – “Massachusetts’s new composting rules: What they really mean.”
The majority of the food waste Save That Stuff collects is processed into high-quality, nutrient-rich compost at Brick Ends Farm, in Hamilton, MA. The final product is re-sold under the Kidz-B-Kidz brand, and proceeds support youth arts programing.
One of the first steps towards diversion is to think of waste as potential RESOURCES.
Depending on how YOU divert, the food waste you dispose can support agriculture in Boston!
Help support this next step towards our One Goal. Zero Waste.
Read more about Save That Stuff’s composting and organic waste diversion programs.
Contact us to talk about setting up composting at your business.
info@savethatstuff.com
(617) 241-9998
