Food Recovery and Composting

The City of Austin requires food-permitted businesses to provide their employees convenient access to diversion options that keep organic material out of the landfill. Organic material can include unused food, food scraps and food-soiled paper. Donating food to people, feeding animals and composting can meet the City of Austin’s requirements. In addition to compliance, these methods help support the Austin community and help businesses promote their brand and sustainable values.

Which diversion methods are right for my business?

Donating food to people

If your business has excess food that is still safe to consume, donating food to people is a great option. Excess food may include surplus prepped vegetables, day-old bread, canned goods and boxed items close to their expiration date.

Grocery stores, produce distributors and snack manufacturers are good candidates for donating items they cannot sell. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996, “… provides limited liability protection for people who make good faith donations of food and grocery products to nonprofits that feed the hungry." Businesses that donate food may be eligible for tax benefits, which can help lower costs.

Feeding animals

If your business has excess food that is still safe for animals to consume or spent grain, feeding animals may be right for your business.

Restaurants and cafeterias that have leftover food that they cannot sell or donate to people are good candidates for starting a program to feed animals. Breweries that produce spent grain are also great candidates since spent grain is a staple food for livestock.

Feeding animals is mutually beneficial for businesses and farmers. Businesses may cut costs while farmers save money on feed.

Composting

Composting is a good option for businesses that create a lot of organic material that cannot be fed to people or animals (like bones, shells, coffee grounds and rotten food) or that include food-soiled paper. Restaurants, grocery stores and hotels may be good candidates for composting.

Get started

Start a food donation program

Think about the types of excess food you are producing and how much. Consider doing an inventory of the food you are throwing away most often to identify the food items that you could donate instead.

Donate these types of food

Pre-packaged food that is non-perishable
- Like canned food, cereal, dry pasta and bottled water.
- Some restrictions apply for expired or damaged food. Check with the organization you are donating to about their expiration date guidelines.
Perishable food that is time and temperature controlled
- Like pre-sliced fruit, cooked pasta, dairy products, fresh shell eggs, meats and prepared food that has not exceeded the manufacturer expiration date or 7 days from the preparation date.
- Treat food that requires time and temperature control for safety the same way you would treat food for your customers.
- Food cannot be served to the public (for example, no food from buffet lines).

Label the food

Labeling requirements are determined by whether the food is in its original package or has been cooked.

Prepackaged food must be labeled with item name, manufacturer information, ingredients list and the expiration or sell-by date.
Prepared food must be labeled with item name, source of the food, potential allergens and date prepared.

These types of food cannot be donated

Expired food - Food that is time and temperature-controlled for safety and past the shelf-life expiration date, unless it has been frozen on or before the expiration date and kept frozen until donation.
Damaged food - Food that has been damaged in the following ways:
- Canned food that is heavily dented on the rim/seam, rusted or bulging.
- Packaged food with a missing or incomplete source/manufacturer label.
Previously served – Food previously served to consumers or from a buffet.

Factors to consider when starting a food donation program

Where will the food be stored?

Consider designating a spot in the fridge or freezer to store your donations.
Label donations so they are not mistaken for inventory.

How frequently does food need to be donated?

Produce should be donated every 1-2 days in order to keep it fresh, but shelf-stable and frozen items can be donated once a week or less.

What supplies are needed?

Containers to store and donate food. Reuse and include new containers in your budget. (like aluminum trays, cardboard boxes and plastic tubs).

Who needs to be involved?

Determine which staff members will be handling the food and at which points in the process they will be involved.

Which questions should I ask my food rescue organization?

When will pickups occur?
Do they offer receipts for tax purposes?

Start a program to feed animals

Think about the types of excess food you are producing, and how much. Consider doing an inventory of the food you are throwing away most often to identify the food items that you could feed to animals instead.

These types of foods can be fed to animals and are accepted in most systems

Plant-based and unprocessed food scraps (including fruit, vegetables and bread)
Dairy products
Spent grain

These types of food should not be fed to animals and are generally not accepted

Meat, fish, bones, citrus and onions
Moldy or rotting food
Processed or greasy foods

What is and is not acceptable for feeding animals may vary by farm, hauler and location. Contact your food scrap recipient for more information.

Factors to consider when starting a program to feed animals

Where and how will the food be stored?

Refrigerate or freeze food scraps in a food-safe container before transport.
Ensure food scraps are free from plastic, paper, metal and non-food waste items.

Who needs to be involved?

Determine which staff members will be handling the food and at which points in the process they will be involved.

What questions should I ask the recipient?

What food items are acceptable for their animals’ specific diet?
Do they accept fresh or frozen food?
When will pickups occur?

How do I connect with farms or ranches with animals?

Reach out to farmers/ranchers at farmer’s markets.
Post on social media or advertisement websites.
Utilize your network to find local contacts.

Start a composting program

If you produce 10 gallons or more, consider reaching out to your hauler to start a commercial composting service.
If you produce less than 10 gallons per week and you are the owner/manager and an Austin resident, consider taking your compost home and disposing of it in your green cart.

These items are compostable in most systems

Food, including expired, moldy and rotting food
Food scraps (like coffee grounds and fruit stones/pits)
Food-soiled paper or cardboard (like paper napkins, pizza boxes, 100% paper food containers, coffee filters and tea bags)
Landscape trimmings and flowers

These items are compostable in select systems

Meat, seafood, dairy and bones
BPI-certified compostable items (like bags, utensils, cups and plates that are labeled as “compostable”)

What is and is not acceptable for composting may vary by hauler, location and process. Contact your compost hauler for more information.

These items are not compostable

Items that are not compostable are sometimes called “contamination.” The most common items that cause contamination in composting are broken glass and plastics (like plastic gloves and straws). Ensure these items are never placed in composting bins.

Factors to consider when starting a composting program

What supplies do I need?

Ensure you have enough indoor bins and place them where your organic material (like food waste and paper items) is collected (for example, break rooms, bathrooms and kitchens).
Post signs near or on all collection containers that identify acceptable items.
If you have a commercial composting service, check with your hauler to determine which bags to use or if you should refrain from using bags.
Consider switching to 100% paper or BPI-compostable products to divert more from the landfill.

What are the best practices for using indoor composting bins?

Food waste can get heavy. Ensure all staff are trained in safe lifting practices.
Rinse indoor food waste bins at least once a week.

Who needs to be involved?

All employees who handle organic waste collection should learn what is and is not compostable, including the custodial team.

Questions to ask your hauler

When will collections occur?
What types of bags should we use?
Where will you place the compost container?
Do you offer free educational resources and signs?
What do you consider contamination? Are there organic materials that cannot go in my bin?
What are your additional fees if the container is contaminated?
How often can you swap out containers when they get dirty?

Minimize the costs of commercial composting service

Consider reaching out to a local farm or ranch to see if they accept food waste for composting.
Talk to your hauler about decreasing your landfill trash pickup frequency or container size to save on the landfill trash portion of the bill.
Consider sharing waste services with neighboring businesses to save space and money.

Connect with farms or ranches that might accept food for composting

Visit the Local Harvest website to find area farms.
Reach out to farmers/ranchers at farmer’s markets.
Post on social media or advertisement websites.
Utilize your network to find local contacts.