Food Rescue and Food Scraps Recycling Law

Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law 

 
A new law, Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycle law https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/114499.html became effective on January 1, 2022. The law seeks to address the estimated 2.8 million New Yorkers who are food insecure, along with the approximately 40% of food that is made in the United States being uneaten.  

This law states that excess edible food and scraps produced by large generators of food edible food are now required to redirect the edible food to those in need, and food scraps to organics recycling facilities.

According to the Department of Enviornmental Conservation, organics recycling facilities are for composting, mulch processing, fermentation, animal feed and other organics recycling technologies. While we do not have any in Cortland County, Tompkins County Recycling and Solid Waste Center, Ithaca college and Cornell University all have compost facilities. Learn more about them here: https://compost.css.cornell.edu/maps.html. Restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, motels, colleges, malls, and event centers that generate more than 2 tons of wasted food and food scraps per week are impacted by this law (feedingnys.org). This law will help address food insecurity by having edible food donated to community organizations to share within the community and reduce food scraps in landfills leading to a decrease in methane gas production at these facilities. These positive impacts on people in NYS help us to live healthier lives.  

 
These businesses are required to separate (split up items in different containers based upon scraps or edible (donation) and donate edible food within their community. Donation means to give to organizations like Seven Valley Food Rescue to be given to communities in need. If a business is within 25 miles of an organic recycle center, they are required to recycle food scraps at the location. Scraps can also be composted or used as a feeding source for some animals.  

 What Cortland bussiness does this law impact?
Businesses in Cortland County who are required to follows these laws are: Price Chopper, Grand Union and SUNY Cortland, Greek Peak Moutain Resort, Walmart, and Brix Pub. Want to know if this impacts your business or what businesses in our community are impacted? Read the designated list of food scrap generators here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/dfsglist2023.pdf