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The Center for EcoTechnology (CET) is a non-profit organization that helps people and businesses save energy and reduce waste. Since the 1990s, we have helped thousands of businesses and institutions save money and reduce their environmental footprint through wasted food prevention, donation, and diversion strategies. Food waste occurs more often than you think: during storage, preparation, and left uneaten after a meal. We identify where and why wasted food is generated, and recommend tailored solutions to manage it.

Whether you’re motivated by the environment, or you just need some help complying with local food waste disposal bans, we can help you find the right solutions for your business.

“CET has been a huge resource for us. Our concerns are probably the same concerns that a lot of people
have, [but] I really think we’re going to see composting not only being cost neutral, I think we’re going to
identify a lot of savings in the way we’re doing things now.”
– Scot Hopps, VP of Operations & Sustainability, Lenox Hotel

How We Can Help

We evaluate your existing wasted food practices and service provider options, and assess the feasibility, costs, and benefits of prevention, donation, animal feed, composting, and anaerobic digestion strategies.

If you want to understand exactly where and how much food waste is generated at your business, CET can assist with setting up and analyzing the results of a waste audit. These can be a one-day snapshot or one-week analysis.

  • CET offers on-site and virtual assistance with program setup, including:
    • Cost-benefit analysis
    • Selection and placement of waste receptacles
    • Right-sizing services
    • Identifying service providers
    • Guidance with hauler contracting
    • Custom signage
    • Enrollment in state or federal recognition programs
  • We also develop training materials for management and deliver staff training.

  • Based on Technical Assistance (TA) provided at select locations, CET will develop a transferable playbook to facilitate food waste prevention and recovery practices across an entire chain. The custom playbook may include:
    • Best management practices
    • State-specific liability protections for food donation
    • Guidance on the front-of-house and back-of-house setup
    • Signage templates
    • Staff training materials
    • Identification of service providers
    • Guidance on service provider contracting

If onsite composting makes operational and economic sense for you, we can assist with everything from a feasibility and cost-benefit assessment, to siting and sizing, technology selection, developing operating protocols, and staff training.

After you’ve done the work to build a more sustainable business, tell the world about it! CET creates custom communication table tents, web and social media content, and signage. We can help track and quantify your social, environmental, and economic impacts to illustrate your story.

Document your efforts through written or video case studies. These not only make excellent marketing materials, but can also be designed for internal purposes – to ensure institutional memory, to communicate a culture of sustainable food waste management, and to orient and train new staff. We’ll help you share your story with the right people.