The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Feeding New York State, the state association of New York’s 10 Feeding America member food banks, announced that a total of one million pounds of food was donated to hungry New Yorkers as part of the ongoing implementation of the State’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law.
This significant milestone is one of several benefits of the law as DEC builds on efforts to reduce waste and climate-altering emissions caused by landfilling while providing quality food to New Yorkers in need.
“DEC’s food waste recycling efforts are making a difference both in the lives of those in need and in the ongoing fight against climate change,” DEC commissioner Basil Seggos said.
The New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law continues to see more food managed sustainably and diverted away from disposal from the state’s largest food-related businesses. As outlined in the draft Scoping Plan for the State’s climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), the release of methane from the breakdown of organic waste in landfills is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emission in the waste sector. Actions to reduce landfilling of these organics are critical to achieving New York’s climate goals.
Feeding New York State received funding from DEC through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to embark on a mission to dramatically increase food donation from large food businesses beginning in October 2021. In under a year since this work started and barely eight months since the law took effect, Feeding New York State surpassed one million new pounds of food donated due to their efforts and ongoing compliance with the law.
DEC also announced a new agreement with the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) to provide additional technical assistance to businesses interested in sustainably managing excess food and food scraps to further reduce the amount of wasted food. Nearly $1 million will help fund a three-year effort to help businesses, municipalities, and composting and other organics recycling facilities increase the amount of food scraps that are recycled.
CET will help develop methods to reduce the amount of food waste, create solutions to realize potential monetary savings to their purchasing costs, and implement food scraps collection and recycling programs. CET will also assist composting and anaerobic digestion facilities with improving operations and potentially expanding to incorporate more food scraps. Additionally, CET will assist in the development of expanded markets for the resultant compost or digestate.
Among the many environmental victories in the enacted 2022- 2023 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders increased the EPF to $400 million, the highest ever level of funding in the program’s history. This boost includes an increase of $500,000 for organics recycling that is part of a total increase of $3.7 million for municipal recycling over last year’s budget. The EPF supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects water sources, advances conservation efforts, and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers.