Landfill Diversion
Donate Leftover Food
What Is It?
Offices and restaurants often have extra food from meetings or daily operations that can be donated instead of being thrown away. According to the EPA, over 38 million tons of food were thrown away in the US in 2014. At the same time, 13% of American households lacked sufficient amounts of food at some point during 2015. Much of the food sent to landfill in the US is unspoiled and could be used by food-insecure households, or put to use in industrial or farming practices.
Benefits
Donating leftover food helps to alleviate hunger and malnutrition of underprivileged recipients who rely on food banks and shelters for assistance. Helping the environmental and social welfare simultaneously can also be a great opportunity for a business to showcase its dedication to social responsibility. As an additional incentive, donating food decreases waste disposal costs and can provide a tax deduction to some businesses.
Financing Options, Incentives, and Rebates
- Harvard Food Law & Policy: Legal Fact Sheet for Massachusetts Food Donation: Tax Incentives for Businesses
NEWS
- “How Some Governments and Nonprofits are Working to Reduce Food Waste,” Waste360, April 20, 2017
- “Spoiler Alert: It makes sure nothing goes to waste,” The Boston Globe, November 27, 2017
- “In US, only half are aware of food waste as a problem,” August 15, 2016
- "Harvard Makes Effort to Reduce Food Waste," The Crimson, November 2015
resources
- RecyclingWorks: Food Donation Guidance
- MassDEP: Waste Ban Brochure 2014
- MassDep: Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban
- Harvard Food Law & Policy:
- EPA: Reduce Wasted Food By Feeding Hungry People
- EPA: Waste Not, Want Not
