Maximize Local Organics Recycling with Food Waste Collection

Are you considering food waste collection in your community? With Materials Management Planning underway across Michigan counties, now is the perfect moment for local communities to explore this opportunity. Join RRS Vice President Nicole Chardoul for a half-day training on introducing food waste into compost collection programs and operations. The training is part of a pre-conference training day before the 2024 Michigan Recycling Coalition (MRC) “Stay Current” Conference.

• Registration: Register with MRC for the pre-conference training on the MRC website. You can also register on the training day in Port Huron for an additional cost.
• Training Name: Introducing Food Waste into Collection Programs and Operations to Maximize Local Organics Recycling – Nicole Chardoul
• Advanced Registration: Members $65, Non-Members $90
• Day-Of Registration: Members $90, Non-Members $120
• Date: April 30, 2024, Tuesday
• Time: 1:00-5:00 PM
• Location: Blue Water Convention Center, Port Huron, MI

Did You Know 40% of Our Food is Wasted?

Preventing food and food scraps from entering landfills is an extraordinary opportunity with multi-faceted benefits. Much of our food waste can still feed people, some could be diverted to feed livestock, while the rest can increase the volume and nutrient quality of a composting operation’s valuable product. 

Landfilling food waste is a much more harmful and inefficient use of quality material. When food goes in the trash to the landfill, it emits methane, a destructive greenhouse gas 12 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Reducing food waste and composting are among the most powerful solutions to climate change. It also keeps the material circulating in the economy, efficiently using our resources to create localized economic opportunities. 

Food scrap collection is a real solution to localizing our materials and reducing our impact on climate change. We’re seeing food waste composting programs growing worldwide and close to home. While 72% of Canadian households can access curbside food scrap collection, Wixom, MI has integrated food scrap collection in its yard waste bins.  

Learn How to Transform Waste into Resourceful Solutions

In Nicole’s training, you will learn how to introduce food waste into collection programs and operations to maximize local organics recycling. Nicole offers expert guidance to minimize collection and hauling costs, lower GHG impacts, and utilize and grow local composting infrastructure and processing options through collaborative partnerships.  

Nicole will discuss collection variables, collection containers, equipment, site considerations, transportation, processing options, and phased approaches to implementation, all with real-life examples and break-out activities to explore how the information applies in your context. 

The interactive training will focus on collecting and composting food waste. Concepts covered include: 

• Increasing organics recovery 
• Characterizing food waste and assessing needed capacity 
• Attracting institutional, commercial, and municipal waste generators 
• Developing collaborative partnerships 
• Customizing services to develop sustainable programs  
• Evaluating composting capabilities and potential costs of food waste collection 
• Exploring existing organics processing facilities in Michigan. 

An Organics and Material Management Groundbreaker

Nicole is the perfect lead to help communities visualize and strategize food waste collection. Her experience encompasses a remarkable variety of programs, equipment, and facilities. She draws on over 27 years of expertise in organics recovery program design, waste and resource management, site design, engineering, and construction management. Nicole’s technical toolkit includes: 

• waste and compliance assessments  
• best practices and policy development 
• waste management training program for operators and managers 
• program planning  
• materials management plan implementation 

She has managed the design, construction, and program implementation of numerous material recovery facilities, transfer stations, drop-off stations, and compost sites. She’s also a delightful person and recently helped organize the native garden cleanup at our Ann Arbor headquarters.