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Conference on Recycling Food Waste to Be Held in Vermont

Release Date: 08/04/2000
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042) Cynthia Greene, U.S. EPA - New England, www.epa.gov, 617-918-1813, greene.cynthia@epa.gov

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is co-sponsoring a conference on taking food waste out of the waste stream and managing it in a way that is economically and environmentally sound. The three-day conference will take place from Aug. 28 to 30 at the Radisson Hotel in Burlington, Vt.

The BioCycle Northeast Conference 2000: Focus on Food Residuals Management will highlight initiatives across the country that include uses for food waste generated by institutional, commercial and industrial operations that are good for the environment and economically beneficial.

"The largest segment of the waste stream still going into the garbage is food waste," said Mindy S. Lubber, Regional Administrator for EPA New England. "Because food decomposes so fast, it can leach into groundwater and cause contamination. This conference helps us take an important step toward reducing the amount of unnecessary waste in our landfills and unnecessary contamination to our water."

The conference is also being sponsored by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and BioCycle magazine.

"This conference will equip participants with the knowledge and tools to maximize recovery of this valuable and underutilized material," said Lynn Rubinstein, executive director of the Northeast Recycling Council.

The conference represents the first time a BioCycle event is focusing exclusively on managing food waste. The meeting will give participants a chance to:

• Explore food recycling opportunities from the perspective of community food banks, commercial, institutional and industrial generators, waste haulers and composters and animal feed manufacturers.
• Learn from successful food residuals recycling projects, and discover cost savings as well as revenue generating strategies.
• Network with industry and institutional counterparts.
• Hear about regulatory and policy trends, business opportunities and economically sound management strategies.

Registration for the BioCycle Northeast Conference 2000 is $385 and covers attendance at all conference sessions and exhibits on Aug. 28 and 29, and tours on Aug. 30. For the complete agenda and registration information, call or write conference coordinator, BioCycle, 419 State Ave., Emmaus, PA 18049, (610) 967-4135, email: biocycle@jgpress.net, or register on line: www.biocycle.net