This year, a new study in the journal Science found that of all states in the country that had passed legislation targeting food waste diversion, Massachusetts was the state that made the most progress in actually reducing its food waste. Why? The study pointed to one thing that set them apart: their robust network of food waste diversion infrastructure.
In Maryland, we've passed legislation to divert organic waste from landfills and incinerators, but the state government must do more to actually build composting infrastructure. To fix the problem, we're working for state legislation to create a Wasted Food Reduction and Diversion Fund. The bill will create state-run grant programs for local governments, farmers, nonprofits, businesses, and community groups to reduce wasted food, donate usable food, and compost what's left.
This program would fund things like getting farmers to build compost piles and substitute compost for conventional fertilizers, helping fund local collection, and building a more robust food donation system in the state to rescue food and get it into the bellies of hungry people. We need all kinds of strategies to stop sending food to rot in our landfills, where it strains the capacity of our landfills and makes our landfills emit planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Take action now to ask your state representatives to support the Wasted Food Reduction and Diversion Fund!
