Waste Reduction is a primary initiative of UMass Dining Sustainability. For Food Waste, we follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s Wasted Food Scale, which first prioritizes source reduction, followed by food donation, and composting methods.

To support source reduction, we use Leanpath  and MetaFoodX food waste tracking technologies in the Dining Commons to monitor and minimize pre-consumer waste. Surplus edible food is recovered and dispersed to the campus community through the student-led Food Recovery Network. All pre- and post-consumer food waste generated across our four dining commons, the Campus Center, and retail dining locations is diverted to Vanguard Renewables for anaerobic digestion at Barstow’s Farm in Hadley, MA. This process transforms food waste into renewable energy, helping to close the loop on waste by returning nutrients and energy back into the system to support a more circular and sustainable food system.