According to The U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30-40% of the food in America is wasted. In New York, businesses are facing waste reduction challenges: traditional options for waste disposal are diminishing or becoming more expensive, and costs continue to increase. Recently, I learned that we have a resource to help businesses tackle this problem. With support from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), CET has provided free support to hundreds of businesses to reduce, reuse, and recycle. An environmental non-profit, they offer free assistance that centers the business, looking at waste through a lens that saves money, improves employee job satisfaction, and integrates sustainable practices into the day-to-day.

CET provides custom recommendations to help identify more beneficial uses for your wasted food. When visiting their website (cetonline.org/nywasteassistance), you can see the numerous opportunities for wasted food diversion. For example, did you know liability protections are robust for individuals, nonprofits, businesses, and institutions who donate food in good faith to nonprofit organizations? These protections include the federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act as well as additional state protections, such as those in New York.

Handling our surplus food with care is a way to take care of our community. It opens the door for more food donation, less strain on our landfills, and has the potential to improve the bottom line of our local businesses. New York businesses can take advantage of this free service by email or phone: RethinkFoodWasteNY@CETonline.org or 866-306-0911.