Connecticut Food Waste Estimation Guidance

Comply with Organics Recycling Law

Effective January 1, 2022, mandates that certain businesses generating 26 tons or more of source-separated organic materials (SSOM) annually—and located within 20 miles of an authorized composting facility—must comply with specific recycling requirements.

To assist businesses in determining their obligations under this law, CET has compiled industry data from various reports and studies. This tool helps estimate SSOM generation, with the threshold set at 26 tons per year (equivalent to 0.5 tons per week). It’s important to note that actual SSOM generation can vary based on factors such as preparation methods, reuse of leftovers, and type of food service. For instance, implementing a trayless dining policy in cafeterias has been shown to reduce post-consumer food waste compared to traditional tray service.

This guidance was last updated in January 2023, and CET plans to refine and add metrics as new data becomes available.

What is SSOM (source separated organic material)?

Source-Separated Organic Material (SSOM) refers to organic waste like food scraps, leftovers from food processing, and soiled or non-recyclable paper. This material is sorted at its origin, keeping it separate from non-organic waste for easier recycling or composting. For a more technical definition, you can refer to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)

Key Requirements of the Law

• It applies to businesses like food wholesalers, distributors, industrial food manufacturers, supermarkets, resorts, and conference centers.
• The threshold is any business generating 26 tons or more of Source-Separated Organic Material (SSOM) annually (equivalent to 0.5 tons per week) must comply.
• The proximity rule is for the business located within 20 miles of an authorized composting facility.

industry sector listed

Check the industry sector listed below that best fits your business. For many sectors, you will see several methods of estimating SSOM, based on factors such as how many meals you serve, how many employees you have, or how much total waste your business generates. Cross-check different methods to get the best estimate of how much SSOM your business may generate.

Assisted Living Facilities

	Average	Measurement	Material
Meals Served	0.6	lbs/meal	SSOM
Food Served	20	% of food served by weight	SSOM
Beds1	1.8	lbs/bed/day	SSOM
Employees2	475	lbs/employee/year	SSOM

If you serve 1,667 meals in one week, then:
0.6 lbs/meal * 1,667 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you serve 5,000 lbs of food in one week, then:
20% of food served * 5,000 lbs served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you have 80 beds, then:
1.8 lbs/bed/day * 80 beds = 144 lbs/day
144 lbs/day * 7 days/week = 1,008 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 110 employees, then:
475 lbs/employee/year * 110 employees = 52,250 lbs/year
52,250 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 1,004 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

Beds¹

This metric uses beds as a proxy to account for all food waste generated across the nursing home by residents, staff, and visitors.

Employees²

This metric uses the equivalent number of full-time employees as a proxy to account for all food waste generated across the nursing home by residents, staff, and visitors.

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Colleges and Universities

	Average	Measurement	Material
Meals Served	0.35	lbs/meal	SSOM
Students1 [Residential]	141.75	lbs/student/year	SSOM
Employees2	37.8	lbs/student/year	SSOM

If you have 212 students living on campus, then:
141.75 lbs/student/year * 212 residential students = 30,051 lbs/year
30,051 lbs/year ÷ 30 weeks/year = 1,002 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 800 students living off campus, then:
37.8 lbs/student/year * 800 non-residential students = 30,240 lbs/year
30,240 lbs/year ÷ 30 weeks/year = 1,008 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

Note: The equations based on number of students (above) assume a steady level of food consumption over a 30-week academic year. If this is not the case at your institution, the number of weeks should be adjusted to reflect your operations.

Students¹

This metric assumes 405 meals per residential student per year

Students²

This metric assumes 108 meals per non-residential student per year.

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Corporate Cafeterias

	Average	Measurement	Material
Meals Served1	0.625	lbs/meal	SSOM

If you serve 1,600 meals in one week, then:
0.625 lbs/meal * 1,600 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

Meals Served¹

0.625 lbs/meal is the median of EPA Corporate Cafeterias average estimate (range 0.5-0.75 lbs/meal).

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Correctional Facilities

	Average	Measurement	Material
Inmates	1	lbs/inmate/day	SSOM
Disposed Waste1	30	% of total generated waste by weight	SSOM

If you house 143 inmates, then:
1 lbs/meal * 143 inmates = 143 lbs/day
143 lbs/day * 7 days/week = 1,001 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you fill 1 trash dumpster at 8 cubic yards twice per week, then:
250 lbs¹/yd³ * (1 trash dumpster * 8 yd³/trash dumpster * 2 pickups/week) = 4,000 lbs of total disposed waste/week
4,000 lbs/week * 30% of total waste = 1,200 lbs/week = 0.6 ton of SSOM in one week

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd3 waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd3 mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.

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Elementary and Secondary Schools

Note: CET now provides separate per-student estimates for elementary, middle, and high schools based on data from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The elementary and middle school per student estimates are higher than the 0.5 lbs/student/week metric from an earlier version of this tool. Anecdotal observations suggest that a combination of changes in the National School lunch program, shorter lunch periods, and more frequent breakfast in the classroom offerings have contributed to more SSOM, particularly in elementary schools. When estimating SSOM at your school, also take into account whether your school has a culinary education program, a centralized kitchen serving other locations, or serves a high percentage of students school lunch (rather than lunch brought from home), as these may result in more SSOM.

	Average	Measurement	Material
Students [Elementary School]	1.13	lbs/student/week	SSOM
Students [Middle School]	0.73	lbs/student/week	SSOM
Students [High School]	0.35	lbs/student/week	SSOM
Disposed Waste1	45	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM

If you have 885 elementary school students, then:
1.13 lbs/student/week * 885 students = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 1,370 middle school students, then:
0.73 lbs/student/week * 1,370 students = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 2,860 high school students, then:
0.35 lbs/student/week * 2,860 students = 1,001 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you fill 1 trash dumpster at 10 cubic yards 1 time per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ * (1 trash dumpster * 10 yd³/trash dumpster * 1 pickup/week) = 2,500 lbs of total disposed waste/week
2,500 lbs * 45% of total waste = 1,125 lbs/week = 0.6 ton of SSOM in one week

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd³ waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd³ mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.s.

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Hospitals

	Average	Measurement	Material
Meals Served	0.6	lbs/meal	SSOM
Food Served	30	% of food served by weight	SSOM
Beds1	3.42	lbs/bed/day	SSOM
Employees2	290	lbs/employee/year	SSOM

If you serve 1,667 meals in one week, then:
0.6 lbs/meal * 1,667 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you serve 3,333 lbs of food in one week, then:
30% of food served * 3,333 lbs served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you have 42 beds, then:
3.42 lbs/bed/day * 42 beds = 144 lbs/day
144 lbs/day * 7 days/week = 1,008 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 180 full-time employees, then:
290 lbs/employee/year * 180 employees = 52,200 lbs/year
52,200 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 1,004 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

Beds¹

This metric uses beds as a proxy to account for all food waste generated across the hospital by patients, staff, and visitors. 

Employees²

290 lbs/employee/year is CalRecycle’s 2014 estimate. This metric uses the equivalent number of full-time employees for the entire hospital as a proxy to account for all food waste generated across the hospital by patients, staff, and visitors.

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Lodging and Hotels

	Average	Measurement	Material
Guests	1	lbs/person/day	SSOM
Rooms	345.64	lbs/room/year	SSOM
Disposed Waste1	36	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM
Employees2	1,305	lbs/employee/year	SSOM

If you have 143 guests per day, then:
1 lbs/guest/day * 143 guests = 143 lbs/day
143 lbs/day * 7 days/week = 1,001 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you have 150 guest rooms, then:
345.64 lbs/room/year * 150 rooms = 51,846 lbs/year
51,846 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 997 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you fill 1 trash dumpster at 6 cubic yards two times per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ * (1 trash dumpster * 6 yd³/trash dumpster * 2 pickups/week) = 3,000 lbs of total disposed waste/week
3,000 lbs * 36% of total waste = 1,080 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you have 40 employees, then:
1,305 lbs/employee/year * 40 employees = 52,200 lbs/year
52,200 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 1,004 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

Tip: The Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) has developed a Green Lodging Calculator that estimates environmental benefits and financial savings from various sustainable practices tailored to the hospitality industry.

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd³ waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd³ mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.

Employees²

his metric uses the equivalent number of full-time employees for the entire hotel as a proxy to account for all food waste generated across the hotel by staff, guests, and other patrons.

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Restaurants

Note: CET now breaks out all forms of estimating SSOM by the NAICS code definition for limited and full-service restaurants. Limited-Service Restaurants (NAICS 722211) are defined as “establishments primarily engaged in providing food services … where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating.” Full-Service Restaurants (NAICS 722511) are defined as “establishments primarily engaged in providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated … and pay after eating. Actual SSOM generation rates within each of these categories can vary widely. Factors such as whether your establishment prepares food from scratch, offers buffet-style dining, or has mostly patrons that eat-in can contribute to higher amounts of SSOM. Take into account your restaurant’s operations when considering which metric to use.

	Average	Measurement	Material
Meals Served [Full-Service]	1	lbs/meal	SSOM
Meals Served [Limited-Service]	0.5	lbs/meal	SSOM
Employees [Full-Service]	3,000	lbs/employee/year	SSOM
Employees [Limited-Service]	2,200	lbs/employee/year	SSOM
Disposed Waste1 [Full-Service]	66	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM
Disposed Waste1 [Limited-Service]	51	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM

If you are a full-service restaurant serving 1,000 meals in one week, then:
1 lbs/meal * 1,000 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you are a limited-service restaurant serving 2,000 meals in one week, then:
0.5 lbs/meal * 2,000 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you are a full-service restaurant with 17 employees, then:
3,000 lbs/employee/year * 17 full-time employees = 51,000 lbs SSOM generated/year
51,000 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 981 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you are a limited-service restaurant with 24 employees, then:
2,200 lbs/employee/year * 24 full-time employees = 52,800 lbs SSOM generated/year
52,800 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 1,015 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you are a full-service restaurant and fill 1 trash dumpster at 6 cubic yards 1 time per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ * (1 trash dumpster * 6 yd³/trash dumpster * 1 pickup/week) = 1,500 lbs of total disposed waste/week
1,500 lbs * 66% of total waste = 990 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you are a fast-food restaurant and fill 1 trash dumpster at 8 cubic yards 1 time per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ * (1 trash dumpster * 8 yd³/trash dumpster * 1 pickup/week) = 2,000 lbs of total disposed waste/week
2,000 lbs * 51% of total waste = 1,020 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd³ waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd³ mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.

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Supermarkets and Grocery Stores

	Average	Measurement	Material
Full-Time Employees	3,000	lbs/employee/yr	SSOM
Disposed Waste1	63	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM

If you have 17 full-time employees, then:
3,000 lbs/employee/year * 17 full-time employees = 51,000 lbs SSOM generated/year
51,000 lbs/year ÷ 52 weeks/year = 981 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you fill 1 trash dumpster at 8 cubic yards 1 time per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ (1 trash dumpster * 8 yd³/trash dumpster * 1 pickup/week) = 2,000 lbs of total disposed waste/week
2,000 lbs * 63% of total waste = 1,260 lbs/week = 0.6 ton of SSOM in one week

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd³ waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd³ mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.

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Venues and Events

	Average	Measurement	Material
Seats	0.6	lbs/seat/day	SSOM
Meals Served	1	lbs/meal	SSOM
Visitors	0.45	lbs/visitor	SSOM
Disposed Waste1	25	% of disposed waste by weight	SSOM

For resorts and conference properties:

If you have 238 seats, then:
0.6 lbs/seat/day * 238 seats = 143 lbs/day
143 lbs/day * 7 days/week = 1,001 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM per week

If you serve 1,000 meals in one week, then:
1 lbs/meal * 1,000 meals served/week = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

For large venues and events²:

If you have 2,222 visitors in one week, then:
0.45 lbs/visitor * 2,222 visitors = 1,000 lbs = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

If you fill 2 trash dumpsters at 4 cubic yards 2 times per week, then:
250¹ lbs/yd³ * (2 trash dumpsters * 4 yd³ * 2 pickups/week) = 4,000 lbs of total disposed waste/week
4,000 lbs * 25% of total waste = 1,000 lbs/week = 0.5 ton of SSOM in one week

Disposed Waste¹

The equation based on weight of disposed waste assumes a weight of 250 lbs/yd³ waste. It is the lower range of the EPA’s standard conversion factor for uncompacted mixed MSW (residential, institutional, commercial): 1 yd³ mixed MSW = 250 to 300 lbs. You may choose to change this number to best represent your operations.

Large venues and events²

Large venues and events include convention centers, stadiums, theme parks, performing art centers, movie theaters, fairgrounds, special event sites (e.g. parades, sporting events, festivals), and miscellaneous venues (e.g. museums, zoos).

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Sources for Business Sector Estimates

The Center for EcoTechnology (CET) developed this original Food Waste Estimation Guide under contract to MassDEP as part of MassDEP’s RecyclingWorks program. Although the information in this document has been funded wholly or in part by the Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement HC-00A00800-0 to the Center for EcoTechnology, it has not been subjected to the Agency’s publications review process and therefore, may not reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. 

Click for Sources

California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Business Group Waste Stream Calculator. 2016
https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/WasteCharacterization/BusinessGroupCalculator.

Cascadia Consulting Group. Waste Disposal and Diversion Findings for Selected Industry Groups. No. 341-2006-0006. California Environmental Protection Agency, June 2006.
https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Details/1184.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Waste Reduction and Recycling Guide for Florida Correctional Facilities. Kessler Consulting, Inc., Jan. 2004.
http://www.businessperformance.org/sites/default/files/finalprisonguide-72ppi.pdf.

Food Waste Reduction Alliance. Analysis of U.S. Food Waste Among Food Manufacturers, Retailers, and Wholesalers. BSR, Apr. 2013. http://www.foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/FWRA_BSR_Tier2_FINAL.pdf.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Identification, Characterization, and Mapping of Food Waste and Food Waste Generators In Massachusetts. Draper/Lennon, Inc., Sept. 2002. https://www.mass.gov/doc/study-identification-characterization-mapping-of-food-waste-generators-in-massachusetts-2002/download.

U.S. EPA Region 1: Office of Administration and Resource Management. Updated Mapping of Food Residual Generation in Connecticut: Final Report – Spring 2012. 2012. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/compost/compost_pdf/CTFoodResidualGeneratorReport2012pdf.pdf.

Massachusetts Restaurant Association. Interview by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 2013.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Estimating Quantities and Types of Food Waste at the City Level. October 2017. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/food-waste-city-level-report.pdf .

Nichols, P., C. Porter, L. Hammond, and B. Arjmandi. “Food Intake May Be Determined by Plate Waste in a Retirement Living Center.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102.8 (2002): 1142-144.

Northeast Waste Management Official’s Association (NEWMOA). From Behavior Change to Environmental Outcomes In Sustainable Hospitality: Metrics, Formulas, Variables, & Assumptions. June 2011. http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/projects/hospitality/   From_Behavior_Change_to_Environmental_Outcomes.pdf.

ReFED. A Roadmap to Reduce US Food Waste by 20%. Report: Technical Appendix. 2016. https://www.refed.com/downloads/ReFED_Technical_Appendix.pdf.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Food Waste Management Cost Calculator. 2009. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/foodcost3.xls.

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Food Scrap Generator Database Calculations. May 2014. http://anrmaps.vermont.gov/websites/Organics/documents/FoodScrapGeneration_Calculations-Final.pdf.

Williams, Peter G., and Karen Walton. “Plate Waste in Hospitals and Strategies for Change.” E-SPEN – The European E-journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 6th Ser. 6 (2011).

WRAP. Overview of waste in the hospitality and food service sector. November 2013. https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/overview-waste-hospitality-and-food-service-sector.