{"id":23444,"date":"2021-07-21T10:57:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T14:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/?page_id=23444"},"modified":"2026-08-14T14:08:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:08:23","slug":"publications-and-policy-briefs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/materials-management\/publications-and-policy-briefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Publications and Policy Briefs"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#whitepaper\">Solid Waste White Paper<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"#wastehierarchy\">Moving Up the Waste Hierarchy<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"#ld1534\">LD 1534 &#8211; Food waste legislation<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"#foodcontamination\">Chemical and Microbial Food Contamination<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"#foodlossstudy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maine Food Loss and Waste Generation Study<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"#surplusfood\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits of Using Surplus Food in Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#otherpublications\">Other Relevant Publications<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><a id=\"whitepaper\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/umainesystem.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/UM-OnlineDocs\/IQDsr9bgqTBSTKPVWmaW9aHgAfA5Gsacxyeu-Tpq1npuxpA?e=vFyFnj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solid Waste White Paper &#8211; 2015<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">This 2015 paper draws upon the Materials Management team\u2019s collective expertise in order to 1) provide a brief overview of the history of solid waste in Maine; 2) outline contemporary challenges, and 3) identify opportunities for the future. The goal of this paper was to utilize stakeholder input to identify areas of strength and to create proposals to increase the sustainability of Maine&#8217;s materials management system.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><a id=\"wastehierarchy\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=Moving%20Up%20the%20Waste%20Hierarchy%20in%20Maine&amp;docid=alma991048540770008681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moving Up the Waste Hierarchy in Maine &#8211; 2016<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Americans throw away huge amounts of trash each year, and despite efforts to recover materials from the waste stream, U.S. recycling rates have stagnated and total waste generation continues to grow. This article builds previous stakeholder engagement process that explored the waste-management challenges Maine faces. The authors review the policies enacted in other states and point out unfulfilled potential to take more significant steps toward Maine\u2019s long-term materials-management goals.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><a id=\"ld1534\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/materials-management\/ld-1534-final-report\/\">LD 1534 &#8211; 2018<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">LD 1534 \u201cAn Act to Address Hunger, Support Farmers, and Reduce Waste\u201d was introduced in an effort to reduce the large amounts of organics in municipal waste streams. This report, compiled by the Materials Management Research Group and submitted at the request of the ENR committee, is intended to contribute to discussions about food waste and insecurity by drawing on stakeholder expertise to: <em>estimate the food waste problem in Maine, outline food waste recovery and redistribution potential, and provide a preliminary, stakeholder-informed assessment of several state-level policies that might help to reduce and recover wasted food.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><a id=\"foodcontamination\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/umainesystem.sharepoint.com\/:w:\/s\/UM-OnlineDocs\/IQA4huQku36XR6eCRVJmqPIuAVVBHyw3tp3NVrI8PEuQyqM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Review of Chemical and Microbial Food Contamination &#8211; 2021<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Composting and anaerobic digestion of food waste provide two means to recover and recycle some of the nutrients required to grow food. To ensure the recycled materials are safe and free from contaminants that could amplify within a circular food system, it is important to understand where and how contaminants are introduced into the system. This report aims to explore these issues by (1) screening for contamination of input organic wastes from different sources; (2) exploring different regulatory environments; and (3) surveying key stakeholders to explore risk perceptions associated with various feedstocks and practices. Click to read the article, &#8220;<span class=\"title-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0013935120315322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A review of chemical and microbial contamination in food: What are the threats to a circular food system?<\/a>&#8221; in Environmental Research.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading5435_036f86-55 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5435_036f86-55\"><a id=\"foodlossstudy\"><\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/umainesystem.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/UM-OnlineDocs\/IQD7JoUvroK1T6pKr5hPjpQEAVTz7MFCxkRRGy8fneYyjVY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maine Food Loss and Waste Generation Study &#8211; 2024<\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading5435_5769de-df wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading5435_5769de-df\">The 2024 Maine Food Loss and Waste Generation Study was a collaborative, statewide effort to assess food loss and waste by sector. Forty percent of the food we produce is never eaten which amounts to 360,000 tons of food loss. Key findings include: 1) <span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">35% of food produced in Maine is never eaten; 2) <\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Maine wastes or loses about 361,000 tons of food annually; 3) <\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Maine households are the largest contributors to wasted food (129,598 tons annually); 4) <\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Grocery stores and food manufacturers are major contributors, wasting a combined total of 78,558 tons annually; 5) <\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Seasonal tourism has a notable impact on food waste generation. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"surplusfood\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/umainesystem.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/UM-OnlineDocs\/IQDTpz2Ou5o2Sr_vul7Rq5IMASNLrgRGuN4HVg0HkhQs1Hs?e=C1th7l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits of Using Surplus Food in Maine &#8211; 2025<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Maine\u2019s charitable food system (CFS) stakeholders are already playing a major role in rescuing good, edible, wasted food and redirecting it to food-insecure households to provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. Considering the amount of food waste and loss still occurring in the state and the number of people in need of food, the goal of this project was to identify opportunities to grow sourcing and redistribution in Maine\u2019s CFS. This research explored three key opportunities to expand charitable food system activity: 1) Increase the donation of all good, edible food into CFS. (i.e., food sourcing); 2) Increase capacity for food \u201cabsorption\u201d into the CFS; 3) Increase CFS food distribution pathways to get food to all those in need. This project report provides recommendations to further develop each of these opportunities, and next steps for the research.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"otherpublications\"><\/a>Other Relevant Publications<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Brieanne Berry<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Cindy Isenhour<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Jean MacRae<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Erin Victor<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Travis Blackmer<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Jared Entwistle<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Linda Silka<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Michael Haedicke<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Susanne Lee<span class=\"al-author-delim\">, <\/span>Deborah Saber; <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1525\/cse.2022.1706963\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">After the Perfect Storm<\/a><span class=\"subtitle-colon\">: Learning From Disruptions in Maine&#8217;s Material Management System.\u00a0<\/span><em>Case Studies in the Environment<\/em> 4 January 2022; 6 (1): 1706963<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=Food%20Waste%20and%20Food%20Redistribution&amp;docid=alma991048540765308681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sharing Isn\u2019t Easy: Food Waste and Food Redistribution in Maine K\u201312 Schools<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whp-journals.co.uk\/WW\/issue\/view\/76\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rummaging through the Attic of New England<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/nad.12103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2019\/09\/18\/on-qualitative-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">On Qualitative Writing: Building an Interdisciplinary Community of Practice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=circular%20food%20systems%20in%20maine&amp;docid=alma991048540939108681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Circular Food Systems in Maine: Findings from an Interdisciplinary Study of Food Waste Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/sea2.12176\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Still Good Life\u2019: On the Value of Reuse and Distributive Labor in \u2018Depleted\u2019 Rural Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=Maine%E2%80%99s%20Culture%20of%20Reuse&amp;docid=alma991048540765508681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maine\u2019s Culture of Reuse and Its Potential to Advance Environmental and Economic Policy Objectives<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=Impacts%20of%20Pay-As-You-Throw&amp;docid=alma991048540774408681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Impacts of Pay-As-You-Throw and Other Residential Solid Waste Policy Options: Southern Maine 2007\u20132013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waste360.com\/research-and-statistics\/msw-maine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MSW Maine: A 2011 residential waste characterization study for the state of Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0094306119828696z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Building Nature\u2019s Market: The Business and Politics of Natural Foods<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0094306118815500d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsociological Perspectives for Environmental Sociology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0094306119867060nn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sustainability: Approaches to Environmental Justice and Social Power<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/nad.12103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwidewastejournal.com\/articles\/10.5334\/wwwj.27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Waste Materiality and Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements with Reuse, Repair and Care<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Power-and-Politics-in-Sustainable-Consumption-Research-and-Practice-1st\/Isenhour-Martiskainen-Middlemiss\/p\/book\/9781138056206\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Power and Politics in Sustainable Consumption Research<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umainesystem.sharepoint.com\/:w:\/s\/UM-OnlineDocs\/IQApEJ9VzX-jQ7EU5eTzv2ELAQ-CZRD_wiWEVHapHEahuPI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solutions for Food Loss in the State of Maine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jenvman.2022.115043\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Composition and Contamination of Source Separated Food Waste from Different Sources and Regulatory Environments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.envres.2020.110635\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Review of Chemical and Microbial Contamination in Food: What are the Threats to a Circular Food System?<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Anaerobic Digestion: A Sustainable Alternative for Food Waste Management in Maine. 91¸£Àû Student Symposium, April 10, 2019<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myamericannurse.com\/healthcares-role-in-environmental-sustainability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Healthcare\u2019s Role in Environmental Sustainability: Nurses Are Needed to Guide Efforts!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2020\/04\/08\/sutton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tackling wicked problems through undergraduate interdisciplinary teams: A team perspective.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/josi.12372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sustainable consumption: The need for interdisciplinary approaches if the waste problem is to be understood and addressed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/josi.12361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Towards a psychology of the food-energy-water nexus: Costs and opportunities<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ojin.nursingworld.org\/MainMenuCategories\/ANAMarketplace\/ANAPeriodicals\/OJIN\/TableofContents\/Vol-23-2018\/No2-May-2018\/Articles-Previous-Topics\/Solid-Waste-and-Disposal-Processes.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Solid waste and disposal processes for isolated patients with infectious disease.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2017\/05\/04\/saber\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Disposal of medical wastes from infectious hospitalized patients: A mandate for re-examining current practices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/josi.12372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Food Waste as a Classic Problem that Calls for Interdisciplinary Solutions: A Case Study Illustration.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/maine.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/nde\/fulldisplay?collectionId=81521275480008681&amp;vid=01MAINE_INST:DigCol&amp;lang=en&amp;query=Silos%20in%20the%20Democratization%20of%20Science&amp;docid=alma991048537366108681&amp;adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&amp;context=L&amp;isFrbr=false&amp;isHighlightedRecord=false&amp;state=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silos in the Democratization of Science<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7765\/9781847799555.00018\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Becoming Part of the Solution: Engaged Research on Sustainability<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Solid Waste White Paper Moving Up the Waste Hierarchy LD 1534 &#8211; Food waste legislation Chemical and Microbial Food Contamination Maine Food Loss and Waste Generation Study The Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits of Using Surplus Food in Maine Other Relevant Publications Solid Waste White Paper &#8211; 2015 This 2015 paper draws upon the Materials [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1818,"featured_media":0,"parent":6257,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-withsidebar.php","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-23444","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/author\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1818"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23444"}],"version-history":[{"count":74,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37100,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23444\/revisions\/37100"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}