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Food Waste Recycling for Businesses

Most restaurants, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, food processors, and caterers conducting business in the Resource Renew region are required to separate and recycle their pre-consumer food waste (Solid Waste Ordinance) Approved food waste recycling options include food to people feeding programs, licensed animal feeding operations, and licensed composting facilities.

Recycle your business food waste

Call Resource Renew for assistance: 218-722-3336. Our staff will help you develop an organics recycling program that works. Most restaurants start recycling food waste after one short visit from us (always free!).

Food to People

Arrange for free pick-up/delivery of surplus edible food with Second Harvest Northland. Edible surplus food goes to local food banks and feeding programs like Second Harvest, CHUM, Damiano Center, and the Salvation Army.

Food to Animals

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health regulates food waste diverted for swine consumption; this is also called “garbage feeding”.  There are two classes of garbage feeding, A and B.  Class A farms can accept restaurant food that contains meat or has been exposed to meat.  Class A farms must heat the food to 212 F for 30 minutes in order to kill harmful pathogen.  Class B farms accept restaurant waste that has not been exposed to meat and does not require the heating process.  While there are currently no farms that process food waste in our District, the contact information for farms is listed here: Swine | Minnesota Board of Animal Health.

Food to Compost

Contact your garbage hauler to arrange for food waste (organics) collection at your business. They’ll provide food waste carts or dumpsters and transport the material to the Resource Renew composting facility for a fee. When separated from regular garbage, recycled food waste is not subject to the taxes and fees associated with garbage sent to the landfill. That means no tipping fee, Solid Waste Management Fee or State of MN disposal tax (17%) will be assessed on clean, source-separated food waste that is recycled through composting or sent to feeding programs.