The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded seven colleges in the New England area honors for the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge.

The following colleges were singled out for reducing food scraps and organic waste significantly compared to the past year’s levels:
– Middlebury College
– Keene State College
– University of New Hampshire, Durham
– Harvard University
– Clark University
– Massachusetts Institute of Technology
– Suffolk University

The recognized colleges diverted over twenty five hundred tons of food waste from landfill disposal by incorporating strategies such as food donation and composting. The focus of the EPA’s competition is to help institutions of higher learning save money on waste disposal through improving practices that reduce waste generation and support their local communities by finding solutions for unconsumed food products.

Following paper products, uneaten, unwanted, “expired” and spoiled food is the second largest item disposed of in landfills. Much of this disposed food is still consumable and healthy and could be used to feed those who are homeless, disadvantaged, or living on reduced incomes. Food waste not fit for human consumption can be used for composting and biogas energy production.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If you’re a facilities maintenance professional for a school, hospital, or a large business complex, it’s time to start looking at solutions to the amount of food waste thrown in the trash every year. Instead of paying money to put food waste in the landfill, you could be saving money by donating food to local charities or composting!