State environmental officials in Vermont say that, since composting was mandated last summer, food waste heading into landfills is plummeting and services that haul scraps are surging. “We have seen people are composting,” said Josh Kelly of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “And in increasing numbers.”
Quarter over quarter, food waste tonnage diverted from landfills has been skyrocketing, Kelly said, especially since the state ban became official in July 2020. Kelly cited 40% and 100% increases in volumes of food waste diverted during the most recent quarters, though he noted those high numbers could be attributable in part to the newness of the universal composting policy. Additionally, restaurants and schools have seen less waste during the pandemic, he pointed out.
Significant waste reduction can have a real climate impact, he added, explaining landfills emit a lot of methane. “If we were to compost the food waste that we put in Vermont landfills, it would be the same as taking about 9,000 vehicles off the road each year,” Kelly told NECN. Kelly added that transfer stations around the state have reported seeing increases in the amount of food scraps dropped off by consumers.