What's happening
This bill requires large generators of food waste in New York to donate edible food and recycle food scraps instead of sending them to landfills or incinerators.
Why it matters
Targets large-scale food waste producers. The bill specifically applies to businesses and institutions generating at least two tons of food scraps per week, such as supermarkets, colleges, hotels, and correctional facilities. This focuses efforts on the biggest contributors to food waste in the state.
Creates a hierarchy of food waste management. By prioritizing food donation, animal feed, and recycling (like composting or anaerobic digestion) over landfill or incineration, the law pushes organizations to take more sustainable and socially beneficial actions, potentially increasing food access for the hungry and reducing environmental harm.
Establishes compliance and reporting mechanisms. Designated generators must track and report the amount of food donated and recycled, and transporters and facilities must ensure food scraps go to approved recyclers. The law includes annual reporting requirements and allows for waivers in cases of undue hardship, providing oversight and flexibility.
Promotes infrastructure and education. The Department of Environmental Conservation is tasked with evaluating recycling capacity, publishing guidelines, supporting education on food waste minimization, and ensuring new recycling facilities operate safely. This could drive growth in composting/organics recycling infrastructure and improve community awareness of food waste issues.
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Who cares
Supermarkets, restaurants and colleges
Covered locations generating at least two tons of food scraps weekly on an annual average would have to separate excess edible food for donation and recycle remaining scraps when a recycler within 15 miles has sufficient capacity, subject to exemptions and waivers.
Food banks and people facing hunger
Covered generators would have to separate excess edible food for donation for human consumption to the maximum extent practicable.
Waste haulers, transfer stations and organics recyclers
The bill would direct covered food scraps toward recycling and impose handling and delivery requirements on haulers and transfer stations, subject to waivers.
Department of Environmental Conservation
The agency would assess recycling capacity annually, administer waivers, issue regulations and report on donations, recycling and program operations.
Headline styles
Donate and Recycle Food Waste
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
13 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require Food Donation, Recycling
In Senate Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Todd Kaminsky
Full text
5 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3672
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, GALEF, L. ROSENTHAL, STIRPE, ARROYO, STECK, OTIS, COLTON, GOTTFRIED, GLICK -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the donation of excess food and recycling of food scraps
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Approximately 40 percent of the food produced in the United States today goes uneaten. Much of this organic waste is disposed of in solid waste landfills, where its decomposition accounts for over 15 percent of our nation's emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Meanwhile, an estimated 2.8 million New Yorkers are facing hunger and food insecurity. Recognizing the importance of food scraps to our environment, economy, and the health of New Yorkers, this act establishes a food scraps hierarchy for the state of New York. The first tier of the hierarchy is source reduction, reducing the volume of surplus food generated. The second tier is recovery, feeding wholesome food to hungry people. Third is repurposing, feeding animals. Fourth is recycling, processing any leftover food such as by composting or anaerobic digestion to create a nutrient-rich soil amendment. This legislation is designed to address each tier of the hierarchy by: encouraging the prevention of food waste generation by commercial generators and residents; directing the recovery of excess edible food from high-volume commercial food waste generators; and ensuring that a significant portion of inedible food waste from large volume food waste generators is managed in a sustainable manner, and does not end up being sent to landfills or incinerators. In addition, the state has supported the recovery of wholesome food by providing grants from the environmental protection fund to increase capacity of food banks, conduct food scraps audits of high-volume generators of food scraps, support implementation
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07672-01-9
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of pollution prevention projects identified by such audits, and expand capacity of generators and municipalities to donate and recycle food.
§ 2. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new title 22 to read as follows:
TITLE 22
FOOD DONATION AND FOOD SCRAPS RECYCLING Section 27-2201. Definitions.
27-2203. Designated food scraps generator responsibilities.
27-2205. Waste transporter responsibilities.
27-2207. Transfer station.
27-2209. Food scraps disposal prohibition.
27-2211. Department responsibilities.
27-2213. Regulations.
27-2215. Exclusions.
27-2217. Annual Report.
27-2219. Severability. § 27-2201. Definitions.
1. "Designated food scraps generator" means a person who generates at a single location an annual average of two tons per week or more of food scraps based on a methodology established by the department pursuant to regulations, including, supermarkets, restaurants, higher educational institutions, hotels, food processors, correctional facilities, sports or entertainment venues and health care facilities. For a location with multiple independent food service businesses, such as a mall or college campus, the entity responsible for contracting for solid waste hauling services is responsible for managing food scraps from the independent businesses.
2. "Food scraps" means inedible food, trimmings from the preparation of food, food-soiled paper, and edible food that is not donated. Food scraps shall not include used cooking oil, yellow grease or food from residential sources, or any food identified in regulations promulgated by the department in consultation with the department of agriculture and markets or any food which is subject to a recall or seizure due to the presence of pathogens, including but not limited to: Listeria Monocytogenes, confirmed Clostridium Botulinum, E. coli 0157:H7 and all salmonella in ready-to-eat foods.
3. "Organics recycler" means a facility, permitted by the department, that recycles food scraps through use as animal feed or a feed ingredient, rendering, land application, composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, fermentation, or ethanol production. Animal scraps, food soiled paper, and post-consumer food scraps are prohibited for use as animal feed or as a feed ingredient. The proportion of the product created from food scraps by a composting or digestion facility, including a wastewater treatment plant that operates a digestion facility, or other treatment system, must be used in a beneficial manner as a soil amendment and shall not be disposed of or incinerated.
4. "Person" means any business entity, partnership, company, corporation, not-for-profit corporation, association, governmental entity, public benefit corporation, public authority, firm, or organization.
5. "Single location" means contiguous property under common ownership, which may include one or more buildings.
6. "Incinerator" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 72-0401 of this chapter.
7. "Landfill" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 72-0401 of this chapter.
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8. "Transfer station" means a solid waste management facility, whether owned or operated by a private or public entity, other than a recyclables handling and recovery facility, used oil facility, or a construction and demolition debris processing facility, where solid waste is received for the purpose of subsequent transfer to another solid waste management facility for processing, treating, disposal, recovery, or further transfer. § 27-2203. Designated food scraps generator responsibilities.
1. Effective January first, two thousand twenty-two:
(a) all designated food scraps generators shall separate their excess edible food for donation for human consumption to the maximum extent practicable, and in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations related to food donation; and
(b) except as provided in paragraph (c) of this subdivision, each designated food scraps generator that is within fifteen miles of an organics recycler, to the extent that the recycler has capacity to accept all of such generator's food scraps based on the department's yearly estimate of an organic recyclers' capacity pursuant to section 27-2211 of this title, shall:
(i) separate its remaining food scraps from other solid waste;
(ii) ensure proper storage for food scraps on site which shall preclude such materials from becoming odorous or attracting vectors, such as a container that has a lid and a latch that keeps the lid closed and is resistant to tampering by rodents or other wildlife and has sufficient capacity;
(iii) have information available and provide training for employees concerning the proper methods to separate and store food scraps; and
(iv) obtain a transporter that will deliver food scraps to an organics recycler, self-haul its food scraps to an organics recycler, or provide for organics recycling on-site via in vessel composting, aerobic or anaerobic digestion or any other method of processing organic waste that the department approves by regulation, for some or all of the food waste it generates on its premises, provided that the remainder is delivered to an organics recycler.
(c) The provisions of paragraph (b) of this subdivision shall not apply to any designated food scraps generator that has all of its food scraps processed in a mixed solid waste composting or mixed solid waste anaerobic digestion facility.
2. All designated food scraps generators shall submit an annual report to the department on or before March first, two thousand twenty-three, and annually thereafter, in an electronic format. The annual report must summarize the amount of edible food donated, the amount of food scraps recycled, the organics recycler or recyclers and associated transporters used, and any other information as required by the department.
3. A designated food scraps generator may petition the department for a temporary waiver from some or all of the requirements of this title. The petition must include evidence of undue hardship based on:
(a) the designated food scraps generator does not meet the two tons per week threshold;
(b) the cost of processing organic waste is not reasonably competitive with the cost of disposing of waste by landfill;
(c) the organics recycler does not have sufficient capacity, despite the department's calculation; or
(d) the unique circumstances of the generator.
A waiver shall be no longer than one year in duration provided, however, the department may renew such waiver.
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§ 27-2205. Waste transporter responsibilities.
1. Any waste transporter that collects food scraps for recycling from a designated food scraps generator shall:
(a) deliver food scraps to a transfer station that will deliver such food scraps to an organics recycler unless such generator has received a temporary waiver under subdivision three of section 27-2203 of this title; or
(b) deliver such food scraps directly to an organics recycler.
2. Any waste transporter that collects food scraps from a designated food scraps generator shall take all reasonable precautions to not deliver those food scraps to an incinerator or a landfill nor commingle the material with any other solid waste unless such commingled waste can be processed by an organics recycler or unless such generator has received a temporary waiver under subdivision three of section 27-2203 of this title. § 27-2207. Transfer station.
Any transfer station that receives food scraps from a designated food scraps generator must ensure that the food scraps are taken to an organics recycler unless such generator has received a temporary waiver under subdivision three of section 27-2203 of this title. A transfer station shall take all reasonable precautions to not commingle the material with any other solid waste unless such commingled waste can be processed by an organics recycler. § 27-2209. Food scraps disposal prohibition.
Incinerators and landfills shall take all reasonable precautions to not accept food scraps from designated food scraps generators required to send their food scraps to an organics recycler as outlined under section 27-2203 of this title, after January first, two thousand twenty-two, unless the designated food scraps generator has received a temporary waiver under subdivision three of section 27-2203 of this title. § 27-2211. Department responsibilities.
1. The department shall publish on its website: (a) the methodology the department will use to determine who is a designated food scrap generator; (b) the waiver process; (c) procedures to minimize odors and vectors; and (d) a list of all designated food scraps generators, organics recyclers, and all waste transporters that manage source-separated organics.
2. No later than June first, two thousand twenty-one and annually thereafter, the department shall assess the capacity of each organic recycler and notify designated food scraps generators if they are required to comply with the provisions of paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section 27-2203 of this title.
3. The department shall develop and make available educational materials to assist designated food scraps generators with compliance with this title. The department shall also develop education materials on food waste minimization and encourage municipalities to disseminate these materials both on their municipal websites and in any such future mailings to their residents as they may distribute.
4. The department shall regulate organics recyclers to ensure that their activities do not impair water quality or otherwise harm human health and the environment. § 27-2213. Regulations.
The department shall, after one or more public hearings, promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this title including: (a) the methodology the department will use to deter-
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mine who is a designated food scraps generator; (b) the waiver process; (c) procedures to minimize odors and vectors; (d) a list of all designated food scraps generators, organics recyclers, and all waste transporters that manage source-separated organics; and (e) how designated food scraps generators shall comply with the provisions of paragraph (a) and subparagraph (i) of paragraph (b) of subdivision one of section 27-2203 of this title. § 27-2215. Exclusions.
1. This title shall not apply to any designated food scraps generators located in a city with a population of one million or more which has a local law, ordinance or regulation in place which requires the diversion of edible food and food scraps from disposal.
2. This title does not apply to hospitals, elementary and secondary schools. § 27-2217. Annual report.
No later than January first, two thousand twenty-three, and on an annual basis thereafter, the department shall submit an annual report to the governor and legislature describing the operation of the food donation and food scraps recycling program including amount of edible food donated, amount of food scraps recycled, sample educational materials, and number of waivers provided. § 27-2219. Severability.
The provisions of this title shall be severable and if any portion thereof or the applicability thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of this title and the application thereof shall not be affected thereby.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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