Jersey Food Programs Divert Surplus and Scraps
Recognized New Jersey programs are redirecting millions of pounds of surplus food and organic waste from landfills.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Organic Food
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The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recognized businesses, organizations, and individuals for their recycling efforts during an Oct. 28 symposium held by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers. The awards highlight local work to divert food scraps, solar panels, surplus food, and household goods from landfills, with winners across the state.
Why it matters
The awards are part of an ongoing state effort to encourage recycling, and the honorees show how food and product waste can be cut or redirected in New Jersey communities. For residents interested in organic food and sustainable eating, the recognized programs show how surplus food is being rerouted to people in need and how food scraps are being composted instead of sent to landfills.
The figures come from annual award honorees' own reporting of 2025 program results, not from an independent audit. New Jersey's 53% recycling rate is set against a national rate of 32%, though the source does not describe how the two rates were calculated.
The players
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The state agency responsible for environmental protection and regulation, including the state's recycling programs and annual recycling awards.
Association of New Jersey Recyclers
A statewide professional organization that promotes recycling practices and hosted the symposium where the awards were presented.
Table to Table
A Saddle Brook-based nonprofit that rescues surplus perishable food and delivers it free to organizations serving people who are hungry.
ECOS
A Parsippany-headquartered manufacturer of household and commercial green cleaning products that reports diverting nearly all of its manufacturing and office waste.
The details
Hoboken launched one of the state's first municipal residential composting programs in 2015, and it diverted 265,560 pounds of food scraps from landfills in 2025. Table to Table, based in Saddle Brook, picks up surplus perishable food and delivers it free to organizations that serve people experiencing hunger, collecting more than 25 million pounds in 2025. The Roxbury Community Repair Café uses skilled volunteers to repair household items at no cost, extending the life of products that would otherwise be discarded.
Timeline
Oct. 28, 2026: NJDEP presented the awards at the Association of New Jersey Recyclers symposium.
2015: Hoboken established its municipal residential composting program.
1987: New Jersey enacted its first state recycling mandate.
Health Landscape
New Jersey's recycling effort dates to its first state mandate in 1987 and has since broadened into composting and food redistribution. Programs that redirect surplus food to people who are hungry connect waste reduction with food access, a link that is increasingly part of state food policy discussions.
Food rescue and composting programs can make it easier to access fresh, perishable food and to reduce household food waste. If you rely on food assistance or are looking for ways to eat more sustainably, it may be worth asking local food banks or community organizations whether they accept surplus perishable donations or host composting drop-offs.
The takeaway
Recycling and food-waste programs in New Jersey are putting surplus food and organic scraps to use in the community. Checking whether your local food bank accepts fresh donations or whether your town offers residential composting is a practical step to take.
Further reading
For more on how food scraps and surplus produce are being kept out of landfills, explore our Organic Food coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NJBIZ.
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