Implementing Food Waste, Organics, and Manure Management in Rural Maryland Communities - Grant

NERC received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utility Services Solid Waste Management Grant Program to work with project partners to engage stakeholders in rural and small communities in Maryland to implement best management practices for food waste reduction, organics, and manure management.

The project will engage a wide range of stakeholders, including citizens, students, business and non-profit representatives, town staff/transfer station employees, civic leaders and others through technical assistance and trainings that incorporate innovative techniques, such as citizen scientist recruitment. Supporting rural economies by identifying ways to reduce and manage food waste cost-effectively within the community, along with exploring opportunities for stimulating local economies by using and marketing compost products, is also included in the project.

Through the grant, NERC worked with project partners, to:

1) Develop best management practices and resources for planning, implementing, and promoting food waste reduction, organics, and/or manure management;

2) Provide project-centered regional training sessions for a wide range of stakeholders;

3) Deliver onsite technical assistance to participant communities with the goal of implementing sustainable projects in at least five of the communities. The projects will implement and/or expand food waste reduction and recovery programs, organics reduction and composting, and/or manure best management practices; and

4) Deliver two project-related national webinars, including Maryland-based case studies and models for success.

Educational Resources:

Rural, Small Town, and Tribal Compost Use and Applications Compendium

Manure Management for Small and Hobby Farms

Manure Management Education Guide

Manure Management Resources

Sample Cafeteria Waste Reduction Plan

Wasted! Food Waste - Issue, Causes, Impact

Home & Community Food Scrap Composting Success

Webinars:

Lessons Learned from Implementing the Food Recovery Hierarchy Webinar was a joint webinar offered by the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) and the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC). On the webinar, the two organizations presented their recent projects focused on reducing wasted food.

Promoting Strategies to Keep Food Waste Out of Landfills, Jennifer Griffith, NEWMOA

Lessons Learned from Implementing the Food Recovery Hierarchy, Athena Lee Bradley, NERC

Closing the Loop: From Waste to Wealth and Clean Energy for Sustainable Rural Communities presented a range of strategies that can assist farms and rural/small town communities in becoming more environmentally sustainable and viable. Through the application of best management practices for handling livestock manure and diverting food scraps from rural/small town wastestreams, farms and communities can “close the loop” and help build markets for locally produced products.

Closing the Loop Webinar Intro & Resources

Closing the Loop: Waste to Wealth, Clean Energy, & Sustainable Rural Communities

Virginia Kennedy, PhD, Director of Sustainability Programs & Curriculum

Students from the Environmental Policy & Action Class and Student Environmental Council

West Nottingham Academy

Bill Kilby, Founder

Kilby Farm and Creamery

Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager

Northeast Recycling Council

Closing the Loop: Waste to Wealth, Clean Energy, & Sustainable Rural Communities Webinar Recording

Project Partners: Maryland Department of the Environment; Allegany and Cecil Counties (Maryland); and participating communities and stakeholders.

For more information contact Athena Lee Bradley, Projects Manager.