EIWG: 2021 Food Waste Reduction & Composting Education Series Recap

Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series, Part I: Setting the Table

• • Eileen Kao, Kathy Vazquez, Alan Pultyniewicz and David Frank, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP): Current statistics related to food waste in Montgomery County, DEP program planning/development underway, and programs in progress; Equity and inclusion within DEP food waste reduction programs
  • Kelly Doordan, Solid Waste Advisory Committee: Solid Waste Planning  
  • Doug Weisburger, DEP: Centering Racial Equity and Social Justice in the Draft Climate Action Plan
• Key Recommendations* from the discussion:
  • Social Justice and Equity: Continue to analyze and design programs that address key issues, such as: lack of financial resources, language barriers, disincentivized landlords, eviction/fear of eviction, homelessness, lack of alternative power sources, high utility costs, traffic safety, lack of health/flood insurance, mental health, food insecurity, distrust of government, need for cultural competency within government, proximity to pollutant emitting sites, neighborhood segregation
  • Some key priorities: resources for underserved, improved language accessibility, greater landlord accountability, affordable housing, rental assistance, insulation, access to heating/cooling, bike paths, better pedestrian infrastructure, clean/safe public spaces, resources for community gardens, electric public transit vehicles, creating a sense of community, electric public transportation vehicles, County Resilience Ambassadors Program — designed to incorporate more diverse perspectives and other potential programs such as a Climate Justice Academy. Addressing the issues that have arisen as a result of a historically white-dominated culture. 
  • Monitor and track County plans and programs that overlap and have mutual goals such as the Climate Action Plan, THRIVE 50, etc.
  • Develop a list of opportunities to compost in the County with a synopsis of the data about food waste and the issues of climate, food insecurity etc.
  • Strive to use clean compost feedstocks (ie., to reduce contamination) to ensure high quality compost that can be used locally and marketed.

Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series, Part II: Food Recovery and Rescue

• • Susan Wexler, Community Food Rescue: Current food waste recovery and rescue efforts in Montgomery County
    • Opportunities for Farm Partners: Farmer Donation Tax Credit, Gleanings
  • Eileen Kao, Kathy Vazquez, Alan Pultyniewicz and David Frank, DEP: Current educational and outreach efforts related to food waste recovery and rescue
  • Cat Kahn, HarvestShare: Food waste reduction strategies for at-home gardeners 
• Key Recommendations from the discussion: 
  • Identify the Maryland Recycling Act definitions that are out of date to understand how much food is rescued or what the capacity is for food rescue, e.g., rescued/recovered food is not included in the current definition at the state level for recycled food-need to evaluate what is considered waste diversion for rescued food.
  • Examine models such as those in Vermont related to the organics ban to identify definitions and measurement methods. 
  • Need for the County and entities such as Food Council, CFR, DEP to provide the opportunity for a discussion about potential “donor” businesses to educate around liability concerns, opportunities, tax credit and gleaning for farms.
  • Expand access to distributed composting systems such as on-farm and in-vessel systems to divert wasted food and recycle it.

Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series, Part III: On-Farm Composting

• • Councilmember Andrew Friedson, Co-Sponsor, ZTA 20-04
  • Panel Discussion 
    • Linda Bilsens Brolis, Institute for Local Self Reliance
    • Ben Parry, Compost Crew
    • Jeremy Criss, Montgomery County Office of Agriculture
• Key Recommendations from the discussion: 
  • Identify regulatory barriers that impede composting:  
  • Need incentives/economic support for state level diverse infrastructure that drive innovation and jobs increases, such as increasing tipping fees, organics disposal ban, property tax/agricultural assessment adjustments for agricultural products that include finished compost, etc. 
  • Revise Maryland Department of Environment Composting Facilities Regulations to remove 5,000 square foot limit on composting pad, so that limitation only applies to active composting areas. 
  • Address Maryland Department of Agriculture nutrient management requirements in relation to selling and compost use.
  • Needs to be easier for farmers to register their finished compost product and identify sales opportunities
  • Provide additional funding and interagency support to farmers to overcome start-up cost barriers, e.g., increase Matching Grant Cost Share Programs and for farmer training/education related to on-farm composting. 
  • Identify and replicate best practice models to advance composting such as farmers market food waste drop off programs, equine manure management composting programs, and peer to peer on-site training. 
  • Establish a on-farm composting demonstration and training site and conduct needs assessments to create targeted training programs.
  • Examine challenges related to the state compost operator training to ensure it is up to date and relevant for training farmers and businesses. 

Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series, Part IV: Expanding Commercial Composting

• • Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, Maryland Legislative Session results related to food waste and composting
    • Questions and discussion
  • Panel Discussion (see discussion questions below)
    • Ben Parry, Compost Crew, 
    • Jennifer Kunze, Clean water Action.
    • Eileen Kao and staff from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
• Key Recommendations from the discussion: 
  • Policy, Funding, Education
  • Obtain regular updates on commercial and single family curbside collection programs, e.g., RFP status and the status of feedback and assessments to identify any necessary policy or other adjustments and funding needs for expanding the program. 
  • Promote success stories and successful models of commercial composting and encourage peer to peer education.
  • Continue to develop the capacity to manage the County’s residential and commercial food scrap composting.
  • Identify, recruit ,and increase engagement of state and county partners and community members, such as MDA, Chamber of Commerce, Restaurant Association, etc.

Food Waste Reduction and Composting Education Series, Part V: Community Composting

• • Delegate Emily Shetty, District 18, Maryland House of Delegates
    • Maryland Legislative Session outcomes related to composting and HB248 – Condominium and Homeowner Associations – Rights and Restrictions on Composting 

  • Presentations:
    • Kate Medina, Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming (CKC Farming)
    • Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
• Key Recommendations from the discussion:
  • Identify and leverage co-benefits between composting and climate efforts
  • Identify legal and policy barriers to composting (e.g., backyard compost bin requirements in Montgomery County are prescriptive but could be modeled after language that says you can compost but you cannot create a nuisance)
  • Community composting needs: 
    • Land
    • Ongoing community support (need local involvement)
    • Efficiency improvements (look for solutions to unpredictable feedstocks – Bokashi method allows food scraps to wait until farm inputs are ready)
  • Consider drop off models like farmers markets to increase access and leverage opportunities where people are already gathering
  • Set up incentives for home composting (look at DC model in which home composters get a bin rebate after attending training in best practices)
  • To protect our compost as a valuable commodity and incentivize highest and best uses, be vigilant about maintaining source separation of clean feedstocks (e.g., do not mix clean food scraps with mixed waste or plastic-contaminated feedstocks)
    • “Value Statement” for maintaining quality in composting and compost use?
  • Tie in with environmental justice, youth engagement, distributed and autonomous sites for maximized benefits and system resilience
  • Look at models in DC, Baltimore, NY
  • Consider decentralized on-site composting options such as in-vessel systems to combine job and food scrap goals (see, e.g., Loop Closing projects in DC)

*Recommendations are general recommendations that came from the panelists or discussants, and they do not represent the viewpoint of any one panelist or organization.