RICHARD K. SULLIVAN
BOSTON — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has issued final regulations on a statewide ban on commercial food waste, making it the first state in the nation to institute such a measure, according to state officials.
Unveiled last Friday, the regulations are set to take effect in October of this year and are intended to divert leftover food in an effort to reduce the state’s waste stream.
The ban, which will be regulated through the state Department of Environmental Protection, now requires businesses that dispose of at least one ton of organic material per week to donate or “re-purpose” any useable food.
Under the ban, any remaining food waste will have to be shipped to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it will be converted to clean energy, or sent to composting and animal-feed operations.
While residential food materials and food waste from small businesses are not included in the ban, state officials believe this is a huge step for the Bay State.
“(The ban) is critical to achieving our aggressive waste disposal reduction goals and it is in line with our commitment to increase clean energy production,” said State Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary and former Mayor of Westfield Rick Sullivan.
Officials say the ban affects approximately 1,700 institutions statewide, including supermarkets, institutions of higher learning, hotels, convention centers, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and food service and processing companies.
“That number (1,700) is an estimate from information we’ve received from consultants,” said Edmund Coletta, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. “There are 300 supermarkets around the state who have been voluntarily employing food waste separation programs, and they’ve seen great results. Each store has saved between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.”
He also stated that, aside from the bordering states of Connecticut and Vermont who are in the process of instituting similar bans, no other state in the country has such a policy in place.
“They (Connecticut and Vermont) are in the preliminary stages, and I think New York, San Francisco, and a few other west coast cities have their own bans in place,” said Coletta, adding that he thinks the results of the ban will spur similar legislation in states across the country.
According to Brian Houghton, vice president of the Massachusetts Food Association, the 300 supermarkets have actually been onboard with this initiative for some time now.
“They’ve been doing this for several years now,” he said. “Most of our supermarkets have already been working with the DEP, so we’re ahead of the curve.”
Houghton added that municipalities will be saving space in their waste management systems by diverting food waste through alternative methods.
“The first option is to donate the food, and if you can’t do anything with it, turning it into compost or bringing it to places like pig farms is the next option.” he said, while also mentioning the diversion of foodwaste to anaerobic digesters, which he says the state “really supports.”
“I believe there are around seven of them statewide,” he said. “They’re the big thing in Europe right now, and they’re another means to use our food waste to produce energy.”
According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, an anaerobic digester uses micro-organisms to break down biodegradable materials, which create a biogas that can be used for heat and electricity.
Their ability to reduce landfill emissions, combined with their lower capital costs when compared to other power plant-type facilities, have spurred the City of Westfield into exploring the possibility of constructing an anaerobic digestor of their own.
“We’ve contracted Tighe and Bond to conduct a feasibility study, which is due in about 60 days,” said Westfield Water Department Superintendent David Billips, who added that similar efforts are being conducted in Chicopee and Easthampton. He said that finding a location for the facility will be challenging.
Food and other organic material make up 25 percent of the state’s waste stream, and the Administration of Governor Deval L. Patrick has set out to reduce that waste stream by 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
