Cheerleaders

Phase Eight: Enhance

General Waste Reduction

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website provides information about reducing waste.

Tools to Reduce Waste in Schools is a guide developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in February 2007.  “This guide provides schools, school districts, and school business officials with audience-specific information for starting or expanding an existing waste reduction program.” as described in its introduction.

Buy Recycled

NJDEP Green Purchasing: A Guide for Local Governments and Communities, February 2006

Food Waste

According to Savethefood.com, 40% of all food in America is wasted.  The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Food Recovery Hierarchy below “to prioritize actions organizations can take to prevent and divert wasted food”.

USDA, EPA and University of Arkansas Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits

In November, 2017 the USDA, EPA, and University of Arkansas, published the Guide to Conducting Student Food Waste Audits: A Resource for Schools. To quote the purpose of the guide:

“On September 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the United States’ first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50% reduction by 2030 (USDA News Release No. 0257.15). In our food system, there are many points at which food loss and waste are generated, including in schools and households (Buzby and Guthrie and Buzby et al.). This student food waste audit guide is intended to help educate students about the amount of food they waste in their school cafeterias and to encourage them to reduce waste and eat more of the nutritious foods provided through USDA’s school meals programs or brought from home.”

NJDEP School Food Waste Guidelines K-12 Edition

In November 2019, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued School Food Waste Guidelines K-12 Edition.  “These School Food Waste Guidelines are meant to advise K-12 schools and higher education institutions on how they can effectively reduce, recover, and recycle food waste. The guidelines use the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy to illustrate how to prioritize actions schools can take to prevent and divert wasted food.”

Save the Food

Forty percent of all food in America is wasted.  Visit savethefood.com to learn how to avoid wasting food.  They offer a Partner Kit with promotional materials, such as the posters below, to get the word out and educate.

ReFED

“ReFED is a multi-stakeholder nonprofit, powered by an influential network of the nation’s leading business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to reducing U.S. food waste.  ReFED takes a data-driven approach to move the food system from acting on instinct to insights to solve our national food waste problem.  Solutions already exist to cut food waste by 20% nationwide.  ReFED has identified 27 of the best opportunities through the Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste, a first-of-its-kind economic analysis, making it easier for stakeholders across the food supply chain to meet the national 50% reduction goal by 2030.”

Sustainable Jersey for Schools – Food Waste Management Action

If you are participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program, consider completing the Food Waste Management Action (under Waste Management & Recycling) to earn 15 points.

On-site Composting

The Rocket Composter

Food Waste Experts, formerly Nath Sustainable Solutions, provides various solutions to food waste, one of which is the Rocket Composter.  Below is a list of 11 locations in New Jersey that have a Rocket Composter on site, most of which are schools, colleges, and universities.  The model of the Rocket Composter at each site is listed in parentheses after the name of each site.  While the unit is expensive, you may be able to obtain grant funding to purchase one.

Schools:

  • Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone (A500)
  • Kingsway Regional School District, Woolwich Township (A500)
  • Secaucus School District, Secaucus (A500)
  • Weequahic High School, Newark (A500)

Colleges/Universities:

Diverting food waste from the trash into The Rocket Composter, on-site, at Bergen Community College

  • Montclair State University, Montclair (A900)
  • Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah (A700)

Other:

  • Duke Farms, Hillsborough (A700)
  • Merck I, Kenilworth (A900)
  • Merck II, Rahway (A900)

Other On-site Composting Resources

Institute for Local Self-Reliance published the Guide to Composting Onsite at Schools in October 2018.

Two companion guides from the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC):

Paper – Composting School Food Scraps and Soiled Paper, 2011

Presentation – School Composting Options, 2011

Off-Site Composting

Very limited options exist in New Jersey for off-site composting facilities to which a school could have its compostable food waste delivered.  A new Food Waste Recycling Act was passed in New Jersey in April 2020 and is expected to spur the growth of food waste recycling facilities.  The new law mandates that by October 2021, large generators (those which generate more than 52 tons of food waste per year) recycle their food waste if there is a facility that is available to accept the material.  This may impact some school districts.

DeMasi Schools in Marlton, NJ, and Organic Diversion, LLC – Video Series

PHASES