FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2023
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gordon Tepper, Rebecca Cheng and Michael Anderson | (516) 869-7794
Brian Devine | (516) 869-2475
North Hempstead Town Board Adopts Organics Management Plan to Reduce Food Waste
North Hempstead, NY – Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board unanimously adopted an organics management plan to reduce the flow of wasted food which will in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help feed the hungry at the most recent board meeting. The plan was developed in collaboration with the Town’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force as part of the Town’s Climate Action Plan and utilizes the U.S. EPA Food recovery hierarchy to prioritize food waste prevention, donation, and diversion.
Food waste creates carbon dioxide and methane that contributes to climate change. The goal is to create awareness and shift behavior, leading to a cleaner, greener, and healthier environment for North Hempstead residents.
The Town’s Organic Management Plan focuses on three core areas:
- Prevention strategies such as smart shopping, storage, and repurposing food
- Encouraging donation of excess food to local food banks
- Hands on education and tools for home composting, as well as local community composting resources to divert food scraps from landfills and combustion facilities
The Town has devoted a section of North Hempstead’s website to food waste including an inventory of local food banks and helpful tips and resources, launched a “Food Waste Free Friday” campaign on the North Hempstead’s Facebook page and will continue their popular home composting program in the spring.
The Town’s Organics Management Plan also references a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation law went into effect in 2022 that requires Designated Food Scrap Generators (DFSG) or businesses and institutions that generate two tons or more of food scraps per week, to comply with donation requirements or both donation and recycling (composting/recycling facility) requirements. As commercial composting services become available in North Hempstead, the Town will play an active role in educating local businesses and large food generating institutions of this law.
Residents can access the Town’s Organics Management Plan along with tools and resources to reduce food waste at NorthHempsteadNY.gov/ClimateAction
