CET has helped many businesses and institutions in Connecticut learn more about food recovery and wasted food diversion opportunities. When it comes to preventing and diverting a wide range of materials from disposal, we can offer no-cost support! We help a range of businesses, from those that are just getting started to those who want to take their existing efforts to the next level.

Whether you’re looking to reduce wasted food, or just your waste in general, we can help.

Helpful Connecticut Wasted Food Resources

  • Connecticut Food Waste Estimation Guidance
    • CET has compiled industry data from published reports and studies, which can be used as guidance for facilities with little to no current Source Separated Organic Materials (SSOM) diversion program in place. The purpose of this tool is to help businesses and institutions in Connecticut determine whether it is likely they are subject to the Connecticut Commercial Organics Recycling Law.
  • Connecticut Food Donation Made Easy
    • This food rescue guidance document is part of a series aimed at helping commercial food service providers – e.g., restaurants, hotels, corporate cafeterias, and schools – reduce the volume of organic waste they send to landfills.
  • Food Donation by Connecticut Schools Guidelines and Resources
    • CET, in collaboration with Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Department of Public Health, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, and others, developed a guidance document for Connecticut schools on opportunities to donate food internally through share tables as well as externally to food banks and charitable organizations. The document consolidates federal and state regulations, including information on liability protection, health codes, and more.
  • Kneads Bakery, Café, and Mill Case Study
    • Kneads Bakery, Café, and Mill received assistance from the Center for EcoTechnology in finding solutions to reduce their waste. Their efforts led to cost savings and reduced overall waste.
  • Haven’s Harvest
    • Businesses often have excess food and business owners struggle to find community partners to accept the food and find transportation for that food. That is where Haven’s Harvest comes in. Creating a robust community network is necessary to direct the food to people rather than letting the food go to waste.
  • How the University of New Haven Reduced Food Waste and Expenses
    • The University has a robust set of programs in place to reduce the amount of wasted food. Thanks to the campus’s sustainability efforts, including food donation and source separation of food scraps for composting, the University is saving over $10,000 per year. While it had excellent foundations for material management on campus, the University contacted CET for support with food waste, recycling, and trash collections and communication.

Stories to Inspire

Spotlights from CT

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The Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport reached out to CET for help diverting their food waste by composting. This enabled them to reduce their waste pickups from 4 times a week to 1 time a week!

In 2016, a class project at Middlebrook Middle School inspired their cafeteria’s food waste diversion program and transformed the Wilton School District.

Through support from Middletown Sanitation Department, the EPA, and CT DEEP, the Center for EcoTechnology put together this instructional video with Blue Earth Compost and their customer Perk on Main to help other restaurants set up and operate successful food scrap diversion programs for anaerobic digestion. By participating in this innovative program, businesses reduce trash generation, support local jobs, and help create energy and compost.

Kneads Bakery, Café, and Mill received assistance from the Center for EcoTechnology in finding solutions to reduce their waste. Their efforts led to cost savings and reduced overall waste.

Connecticut Legal & Regulatory Requirements