a powerful tool in reducing the County’ s environmental footprint. According to Heather Bruskin, director of the Office of Food Systems Resilience,“ During a time when financial stressors are more drastically impacting our community, we need to stretch every local dollar further. This approach is a double win, having significant climate benefits while also strategically sourcing more food to feed our community.”
Food recovery has been identified as a critical component of the County’ s broader environmental strategy for years. The County’ s Strategic Plan to Advance Composting, Compost Use, and Food Scraps Diversion( 2018) and its Aiming for Zero Waste initiative( 2025) both highlight the importance of food recovery in reducing landfill waste. By diverting edible food from landfills, the County is cutting down on methane emissions, a greenhouse gas over 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Recovering food also minimizes the loss of resources, like water, energy and fuel, which are necessary parts of food production processes. Growing, processing, packaging and transporting food all require significant amounts of these inputs, and when food goes uneaten, those resources have been wasted too.
“ We’ ve been working with County food rescue programs for over 15 years. It allows us to strengthen not only our core business, but our commitment to growing food for residents in our community who face food insecurity,” said Mike Protas, owner of One Acre Farm.“ In the case of fresh produce, which has an obvious shelf life, these improvements will truly make an impact, especially to reduce food waste.” in the foundation of the program
Ciara O’ Brien is the Community Partnerships Coordinator for the Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience. She is also a freelance writer, covering food, farming, and environmental justice. Her work has been featured in local, national, and international publications.
How to help from home
Residents don’ t have to work for a nonprofit or drive a refrigerated truck to join Montgomery County’ s food recovery movement. Small actions at home can make a big difference in the fight against food waste and hunger. Here are some ways to help:
n Plan meals to reduce waste. Plan meals ahead of time, make a shopping list and avoid impulse buys that may end up uneaten. Store produce and leftovers properly to extend freshness and reduce spoilage.
n Know the dates. Learn the difference between“ sell by,”“ use by” and“ best by” dates. These labels often reflect quality, as opposed to safety; many foods are still perfectly safe to eat after the date that these labels indicate, according to the USDA.
n Eat seasonally and locally. Food transportation accounts for roughly 20 % of the carbon pollution in our food system. Buying locally-produced goods benefits the local economy and often means fresher, higher quality products. Visit the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture’ s website at www. montgomerycountymd. gov / agservices / to find a list of the 23 farmers markets in Montgomery County.
n Compost food scraps. Approximately 97,000 tons of food scraps in the County are disposed of in the trash annually, and the average household accounts for more than 300 pounds of that wasted food. The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection( DEP) has resources available online at www. montgomerycountymd. gov / DEP / trash-recycling / programs / foodwaste / with guidance for at-home food scrap recycling. Set up an at-home food scrap collection bin and use these organics in at-home composting systems or drop them off at one of the four food scraps recycling drop-off locations offered by DEP at farmers markets throughout the County.
For more information, visit the Office of Food Systems Resilience website at montgomerycountymd. gov / ofsr. plenty I autumn harvest 2025 29