Inflation is exacerbating the food insecurity faced by millions of households; while the waste of food in good condition is a harsh reality that a new law in New York seeks to eradicate.
Nearly 37% of food waste occurs at home, and in New York City, an average family wastes up to 8.4 pounds of food each week, according to city figures. This is mainly because New Yorkers tend to buy more than they need.
On average, the New York City Department of Sanitation handles approximately 12,000 tons of trash each day, and more than a third is food or yard waste.
Each year, Big Apple residents and businesses dispose of more than 1.3 million tons of food waste, according to Sanitation Foundation. This represents about a third of the city’s garbage.
Food waste accounts for about 18% of the waste stream in New York State and about 20% of the city’s waste stream, according to a report of the environmental organization NYLCV.
The report notes that approximately 3.9 million tons of wasted food in New York ends up in landfills each year, where it decomposes and contributes heavily to the production of methane (a greenhouse gas even more harmful than carbon dioxide). .
This is a heartbreaking fact considering that 13.5% of New Yorkers are also food insecure.
However, in January The Law of Donation of Food and Recycling of Food Leftovers came into effectwhich requires businesses and institutions that generate an annual average of two tons of wasted food per week to donate excess edible food and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organic recycler (recycling facility). composting, anaerobic digester, etc.).
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation publishes in June of each year a list of businesses that have been identified as Designated Food Scrap Generators (DFSGs), under the law.
This year, DFSGs are required to donate as much as possible. Call FeedingNYS at (518) 930-7000 to get help. FeedingNYS provides donation technical assistance to businesses and institutions that need help.
Companies are required to:
- Establish a donation program.
- Find a local food bank or food rescue organization.
Unused or untouched potato skins, onion heads and other food from large companies will need to be properly composted or donated, according to a new state law aimed at helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste. .
The law affects restaurants, supermarkets, hotels and motels, colleges and universities, shopping malls, event centers, and other large generators of food scraps. Excludes hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, farms, and K-12 schools.
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