EPA Recognizes Massachusetts Organizations for Reducing Food Waste | WPN World People News

The Town of Andover, Mass. Public Schools is being honored nationally by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their work keeping wasted food out of landfills and incinerators and putting it to better use. Two additional Mass. organization are being recognized by EPA's New England regional office for their food reduction efforts.

The awards are part of EPA's Food Recovery Challenge (FRC). The Food Recovery Challenge takes part in the efforts of the "Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative," a partnership including EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration, to reduce food loss and waste through combined federal action.

"Preventing food waste and providing excess food to people in need has significant economic and social benefits," said Alexandra Dunn, EPA New England Regional Administrator. "We hope that these New England leaders' accomplishments will be examples for other organizations and communities who want to develop their own food recovery contributions."

Andover, Mass. Public Schools' program, "Green Schools Andover" won the National Education and Outreach narrative award. In 2017, 10 Andover public schools diverted 226 tons of food from the local incinerator, with 217 tons of food waste diverted to compost and 9 tons of food recovered using a "share table," a place where students can place unopened food and drinks that they choose not to consume, which are then donated to local non-profit organizations. Through the education and outreach work of Green Schools Andover, several other town school programs achieved results in 2017, and several school programs across the country are poised for results in future years.

EPA New England also recognized three organizations regionally for their food reduction efforts including: Boston College, in Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Food for Free, in Cambridge, Mass., and The Skinny Pancake, in Burlington, Vermont. EPA is also issuing achievement certificates to 21 EPA Food Recovery Challenge participants in four New England states for achieving a five percent or more increase in food waste diversion or recovery in their operations from 2016 to 2017.

Boston College (BC) Dining Services initiated a front-of-house food waste composting program in McElroy Commons dining hall which increased diversion of food waste by about 20 percent over one year, from approximately 300 to 380 tons, complementing the ongoing back-of-house food waste prevention and composting program.

Food for Free initiated a food recovery program with local institutional partners in Metrowest to rescue a total of 75,000 pounds of prepared food as part of Family Meals Program that created over 25,000 meals and distributed 50,000 pounds of remaining food to eastern Massachusetts residents in need.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency