The New york times

Care About Food Waste? In Massachusetts, You Can Be a Compost Consultant.

By: Somini Sengupta

NYTIMES logo

Posted: March 25, 2025 / 10:22 PM EST

America has a food waste problem: Rotten tomatoes and pizza boxes end up in trash dumps and produce a potent planet-heating gas called methane.

Massachusetts has a fix: A state regulation requires businesses to keep food out of dumpsters. To help them comply, the state offers a carrot, in the form of a chatty, practical, 63-year-old hand-holding food-waste-reduction consultant named Heather Billings.

Which is how, on a frigid Wednesday morning, Ms. Billings found herself poking around the narrow kitchen of the Port Tavern, a sports bar in Newburyport, Mass.

join our work, Talk to us!

We’re excited to help you decarbonize with energy and waste solutions.

get resilient content!

Get the month scoop on climate & sustainability! - unsubscribe anytime!

get resilient content!

Get the month scoop on climate & sustainability! - unsubscribe anytime!

SUPPORT

Sustainable Partners
Toolkits

GET INVOLVED

Donate
Careers
Board

CONNECT

Contact Us
Press + Media
Hotline