The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced that it is recognizing April 1-7 as “Food Waste Prevention Week.”
Per the news release: The County kicked off Food Waste Prevention Week today when County Executive Marc Elrich and DEP Director Jon Monger visited the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg. Manna works to eliminate hunger through food distribution, education and advocacy.
The week highlights the nationwide environmental, social and economic impacts of wasted food. DEP estimates that approximately 89,000 tons of food waste or food scraps are thrown in the trash in the County each year.
As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce food waste, increase edible food recovery and increase recycling of food scraps, DEP’s comprehensive programs address food scraps at various levels. The Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Partnership program offers technical assistance, education and training to businesses and organizations to help them implement commercial food scrap recycling programs. DEP is also managing a food scraps curbside recycling program for residents of single-family homes with the goal of creating a County-wide program.
“Montgomery County is committed to serving as a model for both the State and the United States through continuous improvement of our materials management system,” said County Executive Elrich. “It is often said, ‘You are what you eat,’ but wasting what we don’t eat can hurt our environment. We all need to take steps to reduce food waste, which is a part of our aiming for zero waste. Through this work, we are helping create a more sustainable future for Montgomery County and beyond.”