NJ Bill Aims To Reduce ‘Food Waste’ By 50 Percent: Sen. Richard Codey

NEW JERSEY — A proposed law in New Jersey aims to cut food waste by 50 percent across the state by 2030, its supporters say.

Last week, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee unanimously voted to advance S-2730. It was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for further review. Read the bill’s full text here.

If it becomes law, each county in the state would have until 2030 to roll out a strategy to reduce the amount of food waste it generates annually by half – starting the year the bill is passed. The strategy would be adopted as an amendment to each county’s solid waste management plan, and would be subject to the approval of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

The bill would also require the NJDEP to develop and publish a list of measures that solid waste management districts could utilize to achieve food waste reduction.

What exactly is “food waste,” anyway? According to the bill, it would include “food processing waste, food processing residue generated from processing and packaging operations, overripe or spoiled produce, trimmings from food, food product over-runs, soiled and unrecyclable paper, and used cooking fats, oil, and grease.”

“In the last session we were able to pass legislation that required large generators of food waste such as hospitals, prisons, restaurants, and supermarkets to recycle food garbage rather than sending it to incinerators or landfills,” said Sen. Bob Smith (District 17), a co-sponsor of the bill, who represents towns in Middlesex and Somerset counties.

“This marked an important step towards systematically addressing food waste statewide, and this bill could continue this work at the regional level,” Smith added.

“Food is a terrible thing to waste,” agreed Sen. Richard Codey (District 27), who sponsored the bill alongside his Democratic peer.

According to the former governor, who represents several towns in Essex and Morris counties, it’s estimated that nearly a billion tons of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood and grains are thrown out every year.

“This amount of food waste is also an environmental concern since, when food is wasted, all the energy and water it took to grow, harvest, transport and package it are squandered too,” Codey said. “Additionally, when food goes to a landfill and rots, it produces methane — a greenhouse gas approximately 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”

A United Nations report released in 2021 estimated that 17 percent of the food produced globally each year is wasted. That amounts to 931 million metric tons of food, the report said. Read More: As Millions Go Hungry, Here's How To Reduce Food Waste In NJ

• See related article: NJ Has 1.5 Million People Living In 'Food Deserts,' Officials Say
• See related article: State Sues North Jersey Food Recycling Business, Alleging Pollution
• See related article: NJ High School Students Use Bugs To Combat Food Waste, Make Soap

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.