New Jersey

Helpful New Jersey Wasted Food Resources

• The State of New Jersey School Food Waste Guidelines
  • Resources developed by The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Department of Health, and the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, to advise K-12 schools and higher education institutions on how they can effectively reduce, recover, and recycle food waste.

• Helpful fact sheets on food donation laws from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic:
  • Date Labeling Laws
  • Liability Protections
  • Tax Incentives for Businesses
  • Feeding Food Scraps to Animals

• The Sustainable Organic Material Management Plan

  • In August 2021, The New Jersey Climate Change Alliance Organics Workgroup published with Sustainable Organic Material Management Plan. The plan focuses on NJ’s current practices and opportunities for reducing food waste; maximizing the recovery of edible food; food waste management in schools; community-scale composting; development of large-scale organics recycling infrastructure; and sustainable animal manure management. CET participated as a Steering Committee member.

• Recycling facilities in New Jersey that accept food waste
• • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection list of recycling facilities in the state and indicates those facilities that accept wasted food.

• Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and the New Jersey Food Bank Good Samaritan Act
  • The Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (Public Law 104-210) and the New Jersey Food Bank Good Samaritan Act (N.J.S.A. 24:4A-1 to -5) protect donors from civil and criminal liability should the food, donated in good faith to a nonprofit organization, later cause harm to the needy recipient.

• New Jersey Chapter of the U.S. Composting Council
  • New Jersey’s state chapter of the U.S. Composting Council, a nonprofit organization that provides resources, educational materials, training, networking, and career advancement opportunities for those involved with the compost manufacturing and organics recycling industry.
  • The NJCC has also created a New Jersey Food Waste Recycling Law FAQ and Guidance, which provides useful information about the law beginning in October 2021.

• Mid-Atlantic Food Waste Policy Gap Analysis and Inventory
  • This report includes a review of current policies, regulations, plans and goals in place that can help or hinder food waste diversion in four Mid-Atlantic states, including New Jersey. It provides a brief overview of existing policies, with links to more detailed information, as well as highlighting opportunities to further diversion. The report was developed for the NRDC, with support from CET, the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic, and BioCycle.