Orange County partners with Center for EcoTechnology to reduce food waste

Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County’s Department of Public Works, Division of Environmental Facilities and Services (FF&S) has partnered with the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) to help eligible businesses in Orange County that generate two tons or more of food waste per week to reduce their food waste according to the requirements of New York State’s Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law (Environmental Conservation Chapter 43-B, Article 27).

The program aims to divert food waste from landfills and reduce the amount of wasted food.

“Local businesses are vital to the quality of life and economic wellbeing of this county. We need to ensure that they have the resources they need to balance mandates with profitability. These efforts will help businesses navigate the new requirements and mitigate impacts to their day-to-day operations,” said Erik Denega, Orange County’s Commissioner of DPW.

CET will provide program design, cost-analysis, employee training, and more, at no cost to businesses and institutions in Orange County required to comply with the law. After an initial assessment, CET staff will offer recommendations and support for a variety of strategies individually tailored to each business or institution. Potential strategies include guidance on food waste prevention measures as well as the establishment of edible food diversion programs to emergency food programs and/or the feeding of livestock, and inedible food scraps to composting or anaerobic digestion. Implementation of the recommendations provided by CET will result in compliance with the law, decreased environmental impact, and potential cost savings.

For more information about the program, contact CET at 1-888-813-8552 or wastedfood@cetonline.org to access free assistance. Additional support is also provided through Food Donation & Food Scraps Recycling Law Guidance for New York State Businesses, a resource developed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. For New York food donation liability protections, please reference the Legal Fact Sheet. If you have any questions regarding organics recycling, please call (845) 291-3246 or email recycling@orangecountygov.com.