A new study found Maine households are a leading contributor of food waste in local landfills, which in turn contributes to climate change.

Researchers said as the waste breaks down, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Susanne Lee, faculty fellow for the Sen. George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Science at the University of Maine, said reducing food waste is one of the easiest ways to solve the problem.

"Not everybody can get a new electric vehicle but everybody can shop more wisely, do meal planning," Lee pointed out.

Lee noted new data on where and how food waste is generated will be added to the state's climate plan. She argued it could help in building the needed infrastructure to transport, store and distribute excess food from farms and businesses. About one in eight Mainers experienced food insecurity in 2022, including one in five children.

A recent pilot program helped four elementary schools in Maine reduce their food waste by up to 20% while improving kids' nutrition. Students learned about waste in landfills and got a close-up look at their own waste by sorting their scraps and trash. Lee believes early education programs will be key to helping Mainers build sustainable habits and ensure the state reaches its own climate goal of net-zero emissions by 2045.

"A simple 10-minute explanation of how food is meant to be nutritious and not meant to be trash," Lee explained. "These children can get it."

Lee added new funding will allow researchers to continue the elementary school programs and even follow one school's students into middle school to see if their new habits stick. Legislators are also considering an outright ban on food waste in landfills, something already enacted in every other New England state.

A cleaner environment through less waste is the goal of a new state organization, the Indiana Composting Council.

The council will enlist individuals, schools, businesses and farmers to help bring more organic waste diversion and sustainable soil building to Indiana.

Gowri Somasundaram, president of the council, explained compost starts with decomposed organic matter from food waste and grass clippings to shredded paper. When combined with air and water, the items break down into nutrient-rich soil, while minimizing plant diseases.

She pointed out it benefits the climate, too.

"Organic waste is the majority of the waste that emits greenhouse gas," Somasundaram explained. "Which in turn is tied up with the climate and climate change, and other emissions that comes out of the landfill."

An uptick in composting means more storage facilities will be needed. Recycling station owners must register with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and obey regulations about design, location, operation, dust, odor, noise and pathogen control. And the buildings are required to submit yearly updates on the quantity and type of materials processed. Indiana has 15 recycling centers.

The Indiana University Environmental Institute lists coffee grounds, fruits, vegetables and eggshells as ideal for lowering household trash output and minimizing clogged kitchen drains by composting instead. And people can avoid buying expensive chemical lawn fertilizers by using the healthier soil composting produces.

Somasundaram noted there are plenty of ways to get more involved, even for those who are unsure they can make a difference.

"If there is a good support from the community by giving their attendance and asking us the right questions, that is going to help to do the composting in the right way," Somasundaram asserted.

She pointed out the council is looking forward to affecting the state by reimagining waste not as an end but as a beginning. She added they will help promote sustainability and the circular economy of the organics industry through education and programming.


get more stories like this via email

California receives high marks in a report on the fight against plastic pollution. This is Plastic-free July and the United States of Plastics report, from Ocean Conservancy, awards the Golden State a score of four-and-a-half out of five.

Report co-author Anja Brandon, director of plastics policy with Ocean Conservancy, largely credits Senate Bill 54, California's landmark law passed in 2022.

"It holds plastic and other packaging producers financially responsible for managing their wasteful products. And it requires that producers make 25% less single-use plastics by 2032," she said.

The state also banned most plastic grocery bags a few years ago. Starting next year, the thicker plastic bags now sold at checkout stands will also go away. Shoppers will have to go back to using paper bags or bring reusable cloth bags.

Brandon noted California still has more work to do, adding the state has been slow to implement SB 54's ban on expanded polystyrene foam, which was supposed to take effect last January.

"The state agencies finally issued guidance and an enforcement portal, literally this week. So it's seven months late, but they are finally getting around to enforcing that critical component of the law," she continued.

The report also found California is the only state with a law directly addressing pollution from pellets used to manufacture plastics.


get more stories like this via email

California companies making compostable packaging materials said their products could make a huge dent in the problem of plastic pollution but only with changes to state and federal policy.

California passed Senate Bill 54 in 2022. It requires single-use packaging and plastic foodware to be either recyclable or compostable by 2032. The issue is with a companion bill, Assembly Bill 1201, which said compostable materials must be certified organic.

John Felts, cofounder and CEO of Santa Cruz-based Cruz Foam, which makes compostable packaging foam from food waste, said the requirement is a tall order.

"The idea that all compostable packaging would have to comply, would effectively remove compostable packaging from being viable," Felts explained. "The cost, the tracking, making a fully certified organic packaging material is nearly impossible."

The organic requirement is set to go into effect Jan. 1, but negotiations are underway in Sacramento to delay implementation, a move also supported by the plastics industry. Environmental advocates said plastic waste is choking the planet, disrupting marine ecosystems, and endangering human health, so recycling, reusable containers and compostable packaging are key.

It is estimated 40% of plastic produced today is used to make packaging, much of which is used once.

Julia Marsh, cofounder and CEO of San Leandro-based Sway, which uses seaweed to make flexible packaging, said plastic use is only increasing.

"About 5 trillion bags, wrappers and pouches are produced every year; 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year," Marsh pointed out. "That number is expected to triple by 2040, if production rates continue as is."

Advocates would also like the National Organic Program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to broaden the term "organic" to include certified compostable materials.


get more stories like this via email