Food Waste Bill Up in Committee Thursday

The Food Waste Bill, A2371 (Kennedy/Pinkin), will be up in the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee tomorrow, February 20, 2020. The bill requires large food waste generators to separate and recycle food waste and amends the definition of “Class I renewable energy.”

“New Jersey has a serious problem with food waste, and this legislation needs to get passed this year to help deal with it. Food waste fills up our landfills and releases methane and CO2 into the atmosphere. We currently waste between 30-40% of our food supply each year, and this bill will help get food out of the waste stream. We are concerned that the DEP can grant a waiver to allow food waste to go to incinerators and landfills. We are also concerned that biogas is defined as a Class I renewable. It is not renewable because it is generated from waste, and it releases greenhouse gases because it requires burning,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Unfortunately, this Senate failed to vote on this bill earlier this month because of pressure from landfills and others. We need this bill to move forward so we can decrease our emissions and move toward zero food waste.”

According to the NRDC, an estimated 40 percent of food produced in the US is wasted every year. This adds up to about 62.5 million tons, costing households, businesses and farms about $218 billion annually. Also wasted were the resources that went into producing the food, including 25 percent of all freshwater consumed, 31 percent of total carbon emissions, and 80 million acres of farmland used in the US according to the EPA.

“This bill is an important step in the right direction for handing New Jersey’s food waste, but it needs clear targets to reduce food waste. California has already reduced their food waste by 50%, and they are moving toward a target of 75% by 2025. We need to pass legislation with similar targets, like S340 (Smith/Greenstein) that calls for 50% reductions by 2022 and 75% by 2027. We are in a climate crisis and our waste is a major contributor. Food waste that is brought to landfills instead of anaerobically digested or composted contributes to global warming and GHG emissions. We also need education programs to help people and restaurants learn how to reduce and reuse food waste. As we move toward getting to zero carbon, we need to move towards getting to zero food waste,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.  “This legislation will help reduce and reuse food waste in a sustainable way. Converting food to energy will produce a tremendous amount of energy while reducing methane emissions.”