Despite years of lagging behind its Northeast neighbors, New Jersey is getting serious about food waste.
It has been six years since NJ legislators passed A2371 in April of 2020. This law required all large scale food waste generators within 25 miles of an approved recycling facility to separate organic waste. Still, recent food waste generation data from ReFED suggests NJ produced over 1.15 million tons of food waste in 2022.
While this law provided a meaningful framework for food waste recycling, COVID-19, lax enforcement and cost exemptions have proven to be major hindrances in building momentum around food waste recycling in the state.
However, the passage of A2090/S2426 in January 2026 has marked a significant shift in the state’s approach to food waste management and diversion. This new legislation requires each of the state’s solid waste management districts to develop and implement food waste reduction strategies that decrease food waste volumes in MSW by at least 50 percent based on 2022 levels.
These strategies must be formalized and approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection by 2028 in preparation for full scale enforcement by 2035.
So how can NJ’s recycling coordinators prepare for A2090/S2426?
Green Bucket has served NJ businesses, households and municipalities for the past six years and has built the necessary expertise to manage large scale food waste diversion programs.
Our services range from public school recycling for cafeteria waste to community drop offs and curbside residential collections.
If you’d like to learn more about our programs and A2090/S2426 implementation please email us at sales@GreenBucketCompost.com
