Publications

Model Policies, Ordinances, and Toolkits:

Publications developed by ELI independently, as well as for and in collaboration with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). These model policies, ordinances and toolkits provide off-the-shelf templates that are intended to reduce the transaction costs for resource-strapped municipalities of taking action to reduce food waste.

• Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators With Commentaries
  • Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators Without Commentaries
  • Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators: Background Memorandum
  • Slide Deck for Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators: ELI and NRDC can work with individual municipalities to customize this presentation upon request.
• A Toolkit for Incorporating Food Waste in Municipal Climate Action Plans
• Model Compost Procurement Policy With Commentaries
  • Model Compost Procurement Policy Without Commentaries
  • Slide Deck for Model Compost Procurement Policy: ELI and NRDC can work with individual municipalities to customize this presentation upon request.

Food Waste Initiative Research Brief Series:

• An Overview of Multilingual Outreach, Translation, and Language Justice Resources
• Social Science Literature Review on Value of Measuring and Reporting on Food Waste

Project: Food Waste Co-Digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Business Case Analysis

Report and Toolkit:

• Food Waste Co-Digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Business Case Analysis

Snapshots:

• East Bay Municipal Utility District CA
• Hermitage Municipal Authority PA
• Oneida County Water Pollution Control Plant NY

Case Studies:

• Central Marin Sanitation Agency CA
• Derry Township Municipal Authority PA 
• Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts CA
• Stevens Point Public Utilities Department WI

Webinar and Articles:

• Innovations in Sourcing Food Scraps for Codigestion (Part I); Part II: Solid Waste Partners Drive WRRF Food Scrap Sourcing (Part II), (Biocycle, March 2021)
• Water Research Foundation webinar with Carol Jones, ELI; Mark McDannel, Sanitation Districts of LA County; and William Rehkop, Derry Township PA
• Successful Business Strategies for Codigestion at WRRFs (BioCycle, November/December 2019)
• Food Waste Co-digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Evaluating the business case can identify benefits to the triple-bottom-line (WE&T, March 2020)

Project: Nashville Food Waste Initiative

Reports:

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• Mayor Cooper's Sustainability Advisory Committee 2021 Report on the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan
  • Executive Summary
  • Overview of Recommended Food Waste Climate Mitigation Actions
• Landscape Analysis of Community Composting in Nashville
• Landscape Analysis of Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Food Scrap Recycling in Nashville
  • Landscape Analysis of ICI Food Scrap Recycling in Nashville: Executive Summary
• Nashville Food Rescue Landscape Analysis

Webinars and Articles:

• Real Benefits Fostering Food Scrap Recycling (The Environmental Forum, May/June 2019)
• Co-sponsor and moderator of the Community Composting for Nashville Webinar Workshop Series:
  • What, Why & How to Compost - An Introduction to the Basics & How to Engage - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 1 (September 2020)
  • How to Set Up a Community Compost Demonstration and Education Site - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 2 (October 2020)
  • How to Set Up a Pilot Community Composting Project to Receive Community Food Scraps - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 3 (November 2020)

Reduce, Rescue, and Recycle: Other Publications

• State and Local Efforts to Divert Organic Waste Steadily Advance (The Environmental Forum, January/February 2022)
• Dialogue: Pollution Prevention and Rethinking "Waste" (Environmental Law Reporter, June 2019)
• Mulch Ado About Waste Handling: Community Composting Takes Off (The Environmental Forum, July/August 2018)
• New England Organics Disposal Bans and Processing Infrastructure (BioCycle, Sept. 2017)
• Reducing Disposable Plastic Bags in Food Stores and Other Outlets (The Environmental Forum, March/April 2017)
• Food Law Is the Next Great Area for Environmental Litigation (The Environmental Forum, January/February 2016)
• States, Cities Take on Food Waste (The Environmental Forum, March/April 2015)

Be sure to check out additional publications on our Partner Resources page.