Every year, Pennsylvanians discard millions of tons of food, a third of which will end up in our municipal landfills. While over half of this waste comes from residential households, the rest of the waste comes from businesses, like those in the food service industry or manufacturing industry. Requiring businesses to recycle surplus food, which other states have done, could be a great first step towards addressing food waste in Pennsylvania. However, before potentially enacting such a policy we would need to know whether or not the present infrastructure of Pennsylvania’s food waste recycling facilities could handle a large influx of surplus food waste.
 
To address this concern, I will be introducing a resolution to direct the Joint State Government Commission to study the feasibility of requiring food waste recycling for businesses based on the Commonwealth’s current infrastructure. The study would also include recommendations for how to improve access to food waste recycling in Pennsylvania.
 
While it is important to reduce our overall food waste, it is also critical to ensure that when food waste occurs that it goes towards serving a new purpose, such as creating compost, renewable energy, or even a meal for those in need.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this important resolution to begin taking steps towards reducing food waste in Pennsylvania.