Composting

Composting in
in the
the WE

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Corporate
Corporate Sector
Sector 2019
WE

®
2019
The US Composting Council’s Which industry does your company belong to?
mission is to advance compost
Manufacturing/Food/
manufacturing, compost utilization, Product Packaging
and organics recycling to benefit
our members, society, and the Hospitality/Entertainment/
Sports /Amusement
environment. While compost
producers, municipalities and Retail/Grocery/Restaurant/
Big Box/Variety
organics haulers make up 55% of our
membership, USCC inquiries have Office/Research/IT
escalated in the past two years have
from large corporate entities whose
Other
packaging is part of compostable
food scraps, or whose employees or
customers generate leftover food
Major Issues surveyed, 85% have zero waste plans
scrap—often in large quantities.
Survey results and our discussions in place; 65% have carbon emissions/
The USCC Board of Directors, in its with companies often focused climate goals. (Many also actively track
Strategic Plan, highlighted the needs on uneven access to compost carbon credits).
of these large generators as an area facilities; lack of understanding by For other companies, customer or
of focus for the organization to corporate stakeholders/customers or employee engagement is a goal.
further expand organics diversion. difficulty with contamination issues;
In order to do this, USCC had a and corresponding challenges in
need to understand the common developing nationally distributed
challenges and needs of this products and packaging that could
sector. In the past two years we be composted in diverse regions of
have been gathering information the U.S. Questions and interviews
were designed to obtain information
to develop a strategy to address
to confirm these issues and better
the needs of retailers, consumer
understand the details behind them.
products companies and events and
hospitality facilities who generate Drivers for Corporate Composting
organics either in manufacturing, programs
employee on-site locations or in Many consumer products companies
consumer-facing sites. are being pushed hard by their
In fall 2019, we conducted customers to make commitments to Sam Seiwert, guest relations, checks the bins
a general survey to take the sustainable practices. Of the companies at Allagash Brewing Company in Maine.
temperature of the composting
activity of companies in these
Does your company have a zero waste policy or other mission
markets who have interacted with
statement addressing recycling and/or composting?
USCC in some way—called, obtained
information, attended conferences, Yes
training or other meetings or
webinars. We reached out to 60 in
total, of whom 20 (33%) responded. No
This snapshot is their story.

1 • Composting in the Corporate Sector 2019

Composting in the WE
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Corporate Sector 2019
Allagash Brewing Company in Maine Which type of food scrap do you divert?
has worked with local farmers, and in
recent years, a small hauling company
Cafeteria
that began operating nearby, to (front of house)
compost its manufacturing leftovers
such as spent grain and yeast. Their
Manufacturing/
composting company collects their
processing
paper waste, employee/customer
organics, and used fruit, which is
used to age small-batch beers. Their Kitchen
(back of house)
employees, led by a very active Green
Team, have been the motivation behind
the composting project, and provides
all the sorting needed, now that they
do front-of-house composting in their
tasting room and food truck area. “Our they are diverting food scrap for their collection process. “The real
employees and managers have pushed composting, 15% said they are not, due key was to have Wayne King (ERTH
for this more than our customers, to contamination problems, inability to Products) and Rhett (Marlow, Cowart
who are often visiting from other find a composting source, or high cost. Mulch) to figure out the composting
areas,” says Luke Truman, Allagash’s Interviews with companies who piece,” said Scott Jenkins, general
facilities manager. volunteered to discuss their programs manager of the stadium.
showed that when a compost facility
Compost Facility Access and could be found, they took advantage Collection Processes
Lack of Infrastructure of the opportunity to divert organics— The majority of respondents reported
A very uneven picture of the ability but it was not something they collecting kitchen -generated (back of
to divert organic materials – identified could devote corporate resources to house) organics (76%); while 71% are
in the survey as food scrap, packaging developing. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in capturing from cafeterias, employee
and compostable ware; and various Atlanta relied heavily on area compost breakrooms or other customer
paper products – emerged. While manufacturers to help them construct locations. A few noted that paper,
85% of the respondents replied that

Whether or not you are currently composting, does your company

purchase any of these items:

Compostable
tableware

Paper products

Convenience items
such as straws

Compostable bags

Other
compostables

A Mercedes-Benz Stadium guest makes a

compost deposit.

2 • Composting in the Corporate Sector 2019

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Corporate Sector 2019
such as tissue paper and soiled system and using this soil in NYC and and “biodegradable” would be helpful
cardboard, are also included in the our nearby communities in the Bronx,” as well, she said. PepsiCo and other
process, though that was not a specific said Stephanie Cardenas, Baldor’s companies surveyed said they are
call-out in the survey. sustainabiilty specialist. “We are hoping careful to be sure their product claims
A majority–67% of the respondents’ to build a business model around are accurate to avoid any perception of
companies, facilities departments, this that has an impact and is also greenwashing.
kitchen staff and employee volunteers profitable.” The issue of Perfluoroalkyl
are active in sorting and contamination Substances (PFAS) on compostable
removal, while for the rest sorting Compostability in Consumer products is slowly making its way to the
happens either with the hauler or the Packaging corporate level, with 16% in fall 2019
final compost location. USCC’s survey showed that while saying they had already replaced their
Half have their organic materials 28% of the respondents have been supply with PFAS free substitutes; 39%
being picked up and taken off site. purchasing compostable products and are researching the issue, and 45% who
The remaining percentage of those packaging for less than a year, 39% had not heard about the problem yet.
diverting organics replied that they are have been integrating compostables Businesses also have to work with
using some form of digestion, though for more than five years. their product development teams in
none are using dewatering, pulping The biggest compostability challenge changing packaging, especially if it was
or dehydrating equipment, although for consumer companies with developed in-house as a proprietary
Baldor, a Bronx-based produce and disposable packaging is the same one part of their product. At Chick-fil-A,
specialty food supplier, has begun to that has plagued the recycling industry the making of the product is “baked”
use an on-site digester. “We want to for decades: composting processes right into the packaging—that is, the
reduce our carbon emissions and costs are not standardized nationally due to heating and steaming that takes place
from hauling and most importantly the wide variety of technologies used in foil liners to ensure food quality
contributing in regenerating our soil and their effectiveness breaking down and safety doesn’t make redesigning
organics, and diverse end-use markets easy. Corporate Social Responsibility
for the compost that is generated. Team Leader Dawn Rhodes said they
Consumer products companies with are aggressively tackling all non-
national distribution are searching proprietary packaging and flatware
for compostable substitutes for to be compostable and PFAs-free
packaging components that a majority however, with a goal of all packaging to
of municipalities can consistently and be compostable, recyclable or contain
effectively process.   recycled content by 2025.
“Regarding cups, lids, and straws
from food service locations, we Contamination
see a few key challenges around Not only is the equal compostability
compostability: 1) while industrial or of materials nationwide a challenge,
municipal composting works, it’s not but contamination complicates product
widely available, 2) compostable items development and organics diversion
often get pulled out of the process even further. With no current standard
because they look identical to non- for markings or colors of compostable
compostable items, and 3) separation products, consumers and employees at
Baldor has installed an EcoRich digester to of different materials on-site can corporate facilities and retail, restaurant
handle compostable material at its
be difficult,” said Sophie Stevenson, and event locations confuse disposable
New York location.
manager of foodservice innovation – and recyclable – materials with
and sustainability at PepsiCo. Public compostables.
education of the terms “compostable”

3 • Composting in the Corporate Sector 2019

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Cost education and signage for fans in the Conclusion:
Companies are innovating to meet “front of the house”, noting that most The desire for commercial
the cost challenge. Scott Jenkins says of their potential compostables come scale acceptance of food waste
Mercedes Benz Stadium, diverted a from the seating area for the 70,000 and accompanying compostable
record 52% of its waste at October fans that show up for the typical packaging is satisfied in some
football games—but the goal is 90%. football game or soccer match. specific areas. But for companies
Of the remaining 48%, they have Baldor has committed to eliminating with multiple locations across the
estimated 80% of that is organics. food waste by focusing on the entire U.S., there is a critical need to not
The stadium will soon host a sorting/ food hierarchy, with a system of only spur more compost capacity,
densifying process for HDPE plastics distribution of leftover food to area but to encourage (where possible)
and aluminum that will save them food bank programs, farmers for animal a more uniform scale of feedstocks
substantial dollars, which will be feed, and composting of the remainder. that are accepted in order to increase
devoted to organics recovery, training “We talk to the chefs we supply, and our composting in this sector.
and signage. message is, that food is an asset 100% Additionally, finding ways
Companies that responded to of the time. It is not a liability on the to distinguish compostable
USCC’s survey unanimously agreed balance sheet,” says Thomas McQuillan, packaging and tableware from
that cost of purchasing compostable vice president of sustainability. With non-compostable or recyclable
products, and of composting pickup 15,000 clients, many of whom are materials will spur more companies
or the composting system, is higher “white table top” restaurants, as well to divert and compost food waste.
than landfilling – but that they are as “mom and pops”, Sustainability Lastly, education by the compost
committed to it. Specialist Stephanie Cardenas has her industry about compostability and
Longtime trash pickup practices hands full managing the program, contamination was a common theme
that have not been updated can which has as its goal to be a zero that the corporate sector wishes to
impact potential diversion savings that organics to landfill company. see addressed.
composting and recycling provide. “In
some of our locations, the landlords Compost Use
lease requires more frequent pickup End use of compost generated
than we would need” with the level by the companies is a small part
of composting and recycling and the of their programs, with only 50%
reduction in waste containers. So replying that they use the compost
the savings in those situations have themselves. Of those, 73% find it is
not added up to offset the cost of used for landscaping, but anecdotally
composting, said Alexandra Dysard, not all is used at their own facilities.
sustainability manager for MOMS Followup interviews identified very few
Organic Market. companies with campuses where it
“We are trying to avoid the labor compost could be used for top dressing
of sorting, that will eat your lunch!” or in other methods, but they were
Jenkins says of the stadium’s emphasis aware of it being used on farms and
on reducing contamination through other landscaping purposes.

4 • Composting in the Corporate Sector 2019