A Vermont graduate student, Kate Porterland, is testing unpackaged food waste in an effort to find a more sustainable use for food wastes. Recently, Vermont passed a law to decrease the amount of food waste in landfills by banning food scraps. Therefore, all of Vermont’s food waste remains in the packaging. The University of Vermont is working with Casella Waste systems to attempt and divert the packaged food waste and find a more sustainable solution. The University is studying how the packaging breaks down as a whole and how to preserve the resources while Casella Waste Systems are focusing on how to implement a larger scale facility for this project. Porterfield is using an Automated Methane Potential Test System and many other experimental methods to create samples and study the plastic vs. the organic materials. This project is engaging for the graduate students and helpful to the environment. After the research is complete, the students will be able to help create a more sustainable waste system in Vermont and hopefully nationwide.

For more information: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2021/october/15/unpackaging-food-waste