NERC received funding from EPA Region 1 (New England) for its proposal to recruit and secure at least five hospitality businesses (e.g., hotels, resorts, restaurants, conference venues) and one sporting venue in Vermont to participate to implement sustainable food reduction, recovery, and composting programs. In addition, NERC worked with to recruit businesses to join the EPA Food Recovery Challenge.


Project Highlights: 

  • Three onsite technical assistance meetings conducted at Jay Peak Resort; report and recommendations provided; training for food scrap composting provided for five full-serve restaurants; ongoing food scrap composting.
  • Information on ball park food scrap collection discussed with Lake Monster’s administration; onsite technical assistance provided for 2016 season opening game to monitor food scrap collection and provide recommendations.
  • Worked with Solid Waste District partners to provide waste assessments and technical assistance to 13 establishments for food scrap diversion.
  • Recruited 18 establishments to join the US EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge. Cumulatively, in 2016, these establishments diverted more than 380 tons of food waste through source reduction, food recovery and donation, and composting. This resulted in 511 metric tons of carbon dioxide reduction or the equivalent of 107 passenger vehicles taken off the road for one year.
  • NERC won EPA's 2016 National Food Recovery Challenge Endorser Award for their food recovery outreach and technical assistance efforts to New England businesses.


Project Partners: Vermont Agency of Natural Resources; Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District; Windham Solid Waste Management District; Black Dirt Farm (hauler/processor); Grow Compost (hauler/processor); and, participant businesses.

Electronics Workshops - New Hampshire Solid Waste Operator Training Program - Contract

NERC developed and delivered two 1/2-day trainings for the State of New Hampshire's Solid Waste Operator Training Program. 


The first, an overview of the electronics recycling industry was "sold out" with 140 participants. The PowerPoint (which includes two YouTube videos) is available on the NERC website: Overview of the Electronics Recycling Industry.


The second workshop focused on best management practices for collecting electronics for recycling at a transfer station. A recording of this webinar is available.

Food Scrap & Organics Composting Training - New Hampshire Solid Waste Operator Training Program - Contract

NERC staff provided a compost operator training through the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES) Continuing Professional Development for Certified Solid Waste Facility Operators. Thirty people participated in the training held on June 13, 2017, in Exeter, New Hampshire.


The “Beyond the Basics - Food Scrap & Organics Composting” training featured a three-hour lecture and discussion on: Food Scrap Collection, Science of Composting, Feedstocks and Recipe Development, Compost Methods and Systems, Facility Development & Management, Regulations, Process Management & Quality Control, and Finished Product End Use. The PowerPoint is available on the NERC website: Food Waste Composting Presentation. The lecture portion of the training was followed by an onsite tour and discussion at Seacoast Farms Compost Products conducted by owner and operator Bob Kelly.


Project Partners: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Seacoast Farms Compost Products.

Implementing the Food Recovery Hierarchy in Rural Vermont Communities - Grant

Through the Implementing the Food Recovery Hierarchy in Rural Vermont Communities NERC worked with communities in Vermont to reduce food scraps, promote increased food recovery and donation options, and divert food scraps to composting. The project was funded through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Services Solid Waste Management Grant Program.


Project Highlights:

  • Thirteen trainings involving nearly 500 participants.
  • Technical assistance involving project partners and a diversity of stakeholders, resulted in food scrap composting at one resort, two transfer stations, four community compost sites, and multiple households, as well as a schoolwide share table.
  • Two national-based webinars and one Vermont-based webinar were conducted with 306 participants.


Educational Resources:


Webinars


Getting Started with Community Food Scrap Composting:


Presentation: Getting Started with Community Food Scrap Composting


Presenters:

Natasha Duarte, Director, Composting Association of Vermont

Libby Weiland, Statewide Network Coordinator, Vermont Community Garden Network 

Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager, Northeast Recycling Council


Recording: Getting Started with Community Food Scrap Composting


Building Resilience in Food Recovery:


Presentation: Building Resiliency in Food Recovery

Presenter: Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager, Northeast Recycling Council


Presentation: Building Collaboration for the Food Waste Challenge

Presenter: Elise Golan, Ph.D., Director for Sustainable Development, Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture


Presentation: The Gleaning Project and the Importance of Law and Collaboration

Presenter: Laurie Beyranevand, JD, Senior Faculty Fellow, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, Vermont Law School


Presentation: Agricultural Surplus Management and Food System Resiliency

Presenter: Theresa Snow, Executive Director, Salvation Farms


Recording: Building Resiliency in Food Recovery Webinar


Food Rescue:


Presentation: Innovative Food Rescue Models

Presenter: Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager, Northeast Recycling Council


Presentation: Food Rescue Alliance

Presenter: Hana Dansky, Executive Director, Boulder Food Rescue


Presentation: Neighborhood Food Hubs

Presenter: Meaghan Sheehan Rosen, Coordinator, Friendship Donations Network


Recording: Food Recovery = Food Rescue Innovative Strategies Webinar


Project Partners: 

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources; Bennington County Regional Commission; Londonderry Group; Northeast Kingdom Solid Waste District; Vermont Community Garden Network; Composting Association of Vermont; and, participant businesses, institutions, and schools.

New York Compost Operators Training - Contract

NERC staff was an instructor for a 1-day Compost Operations Training was held in the Town of Bethlehem, New York on September 15, 2016. Designed for facility operators and managers, recycling coordinators, composting educators, students and others, the training was focused on adding food scraps to the compost mix. The training was co-sponsored by the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.


There were fifty-three people participating in the training. The day started with several hours of instruction and discussion. The packed agenda included presentations and discussion on the science of composting, compost operations and methods, process management, facility management, and regulations. The afternoon included a facility tour of Bethlehem's permitted compost facility. In-field lessons, including temperature, moisture, bulk density, and oxygen measurements were conducted at the facility; site location, layout, drainage, and handling potential problems (including odor and fire) were also discussed.


Instructors for the training were: Bob Rynk, SUNY Cobleskill; Jean Bonhotal, Cornell Waste Management Institute; Athena Lee Bradley, Northeast Recycling Council; Gary Feinland, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; and, Phil Holloway, Empire Zero. Attendees received a number of resources, including NERC’s Organics Management and Composting Guide and Compost Marketing Guide, along with the training presentations. 


Partners: the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, SUNY Cobleskill, and Cornell Waste Management Institute.

Vermont Green Business Program - Contract

NERC coordinated the Vermont Green Business Program (VT GBP)—a recognition program for businesses that conduct their operations in an environmentally-friendly (green) manner. The no-cost, voluntary program includes the business sectors of hotels, restaurants, marinas, golf courses, and groceries in the Green Mountain State. 


NERC's work for the Program included: revising and upgrading the Program criteria, identifying potential business members, conducting walk-through assessments of interested businesses, providing feedback to businesses on how to incorporate green practices into their business operations, assisting businesses with achieving the Program requirements, creating a network for the member businesses, promoting the program via social media and traditional news sources, and partnering with other statewide business programs to distribute the VT GBP marketing materials.


Partners: Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, and the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.

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