Food waste diversion is an important way to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Although some communities have well-established curbside food waste collection programs, they can be costly, difficult to administer, and the discarded material is often contaminated. 

Providing opportunities for residents to discard food waste at drop-off sites or convenience centers is a proven, low-cost alternative. As more Americans and Canadians become interested in sustainability and concerned about climate change, innovative local governments are embracing drop off for food waste as a way to increase organics diversion and reduce their carbon footprint. 

In this session, local government officials discuss how they successfully implemented a drop-off program in their communities. They will describe how they eliminated contamination by introducing user registration and controlled access, using both coded and app-based locking systems. This innovative type of food waste diversion program will help attendees be Climate Champions and implement some of the goals in SWANA’s Strategic Plan. 

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Construct a basic business case for an organics drop-off program. 

• Apply basic recycling behavior change principles. 

• Assess emerging registration/access control technology.