Holiday Food Waste

First and perhaps most important, is for retailers to implement effective programs to ensure compliance with regulations and company policies. Second is to set goals around waste reduction and diversion. Your compliance program can also help you achieve your waste management goals. The RCC has two tools to help retailers evaluate and implement compliance programs. First is the RILA Retail Advisor: Environmental Compliance. This platform helps retailers evaluate and benchmark their compliance programs, including solid waste. The RCC also has guidance and tools on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for retail. Even if you are not implementing an EMS, the tools can help with program evaluation and gap analysis.

The RCC also has information on regulations that relate to food and related solid waste. The RCC Solid Waste Page covers food waste, and the RCC pages on environmental regulations that apply to grocery stores and food service and prepared foods have additional information on food and related waste. For more detailed information on organics regulations, including requirements in some jurisdictions for food diversion, consult the Mandatory Organics Fact Sheet or watch our past webinar on Organics Recycling regulations.

To stay up to date on organic waste regulations, sign up for RCC Alerts, our monthly email that touches on the latest topics in environmental compliance in retail.