New York

Helpful New York Wasted Food Resources

• Benefit-Cost Analysis of Potential Food Waste Diversion Legislation Report
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) released a report analyzing the potential benefits of requiring facilities that are generating at least two tons of food waste per week, and located outside of New York City and within 50 miles of a food waste management facility, to donate their edible food or send food scraps to organic processing facilities. The report depicts an anticipated benefit of up to $22 million annually and a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

• New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (NYSAR³)
  • This state-wide organization includes an Organics Council with five working groups focused on keeping food scraps and yard waste out of landfills. The council includes working groups focused on education and events, end products and marketing, food recovery, infrastructure development and support, and legislation.

• Map of New York State compost facilities
  • Map from the Cornell Waste Management Institute of compost facilities, compost education and demonstration sites, and transfer stations diverting organics to centralized facilities.

• NRDC Food Waste Reports
  • Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) released reports and case studies that model food waste trends in New York City, Nashville, and Denver. Estimating Quantities of Food Waste at the City Level, depicts the quantity and type of food occurring in the cities, while Modeling the Potential to Increase Food Rescue, outlines opportunities for surplus food.

• Article 4-D Liability for Canned, Perishable Food or Farm Products Distributed Free of Charge
  • In addition to the Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, New York State’s Article 4-D provides additional liability protection to donors of food.

NYSP2I Sustainable Food Program

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s (NYSP2I) Sustainable Food Program helps food-related businesses and institutions reduce and divert wasted food through an online information clearinghouse, technical assistance, and applied research. The clearinghouse includes various tools such as a Step-by-Step Guide, Self-assessment and Tracking, and Food Waste Estimator.

NYSP2I’s Organic Resource Locator is an interactive map to help connect food-related businesses and institutions with potential resources, such as food banks, compost sites, and anaerobic digesters. NYSP2I offers technical assistance to help businesses and institutions reduce and divert wasted food. Assistance can range from brief support to a project or training.

Contact 585-475-2512 or nysp2i@rit.edu to request assistance. Any New York state-registered business or institution that is involved in the generation or management of food waste is eligible. NYSP2I is a funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and housed at Rochester Institute of Technology.