Media Coverage 

Television Coverage, Newspaper, Magazine, and other Media.

FRM in the News

March 1, 2023 News Center Maine: Researchers at UMaine study food waste in school cafeterias

January 13, 2023 News Center Maine: How much food waste do you generate? This UMaine experiment is helping raise awareness 

June 15, 2022 Popular Science: The US stinks at composting. Here’s how we can change that.

April 10, 2022 The Maine Monitor: Soil health depends on clean compost, and that requires changes

April 2022 Maine Town and City Magazine: Composting Food Waste (article on pgs. 23-26)

November 2021 Raising awareness, inspiring action and developing tools to help reduce food waste in Maine (Mitchell Center feature)

November 3, 2021 KENNEBUNK POST Posted November 3 Composting company cans curbside collection

August 2021 Lee to offer 8/31 webinar on reducing food waste in Maine (Mitchell Center News)

July 24, 2021 Readfield Launches New Food Recycling Program Saturday

May 2021 ‘Maine food—Too good to waste’: Students lead the way to food waste solutions (Mitchell Center feature)

May 9, 2021 Green Plate Special: New UMaine program helps towns to turn food waste into ‘black gold’

May 3, 2021  AP Covers Mitchell Center Campaign to Reduce Food Waste

May 2, 2021 UMAINE Launches Campaign to Keep Food Out of Landfills

May 1, 2021 UMaine launches campaign to keep food out of landfills

April 30, 2021 DEP Partners with Mitchell Center to Launch Food Rescue MAINE Food Too Good to Waste Campaign

April 30, 2021 Pen Bay Pilot Advances Maine Food Too Good To Waste Campaign

April 27, 2021 Forecaster Reports on Portland Food Rescue Partnership with Mitchell Center

April 25, 2021 Food composting program piloted in Portland

April 22, 2021 Press Herald Reports on Portland Food Recycling Program Partnership with Mitchell Center

April 21, 2021 UMAINE Blackmer Lee Talk with Central Maine About Municipal Food Recycling Projects

April 12, 2021 WABI Reports on Food Waste Solutions Summit

April 9, 2021 Mitchell Center Held a Virtual Meeting to Discuss Food Waste in the State

April 6, 2021 Mitchell Center to Host Food Waste Solutions Summit Friday

April 2020 Helping Maine Businesses Find Food Waste Solutions (Mitchell Center feature)


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Press Releases

Photo Gallery

image of food recovery hierarchy
pictures of many tins of food in the back of a car in preparation for a food rescue
picture of a person pouring food waste from a 5 gallon bucket into a green transfer station food recycling bin
Image of Ariana working in a kitchen prior to a food rescue
image of a car with 3 grocery bags in the back, and two grocery bags that have fallen on the ground. Represents that 40% of food is wasted
Image of the Waterville transfer station: features four recycling bins under a food recycling sign
picture of FRM intern, Kalina, working on a food rescue

Food Rescue MAINE Webinars and Talks

Media Advisories

Media advisory 

April 21, 2021 

Contact: Joan Perkins, joan.perkins@maine.edu 

The town of Winslow will launch a new food recycling program at 5:30 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22, in partnership with the Senator George J. Mitchell Center at the University of Maine, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments. 

Media are invited to join municipal officials and children from Winslow public schools at the library at 136 Halifax Street as the town installs new food recycling bins to jump start their community food waste reduction program.

At 6 p.m., DEP organics management specialist Mark King will offer a presentation, “What is Food Recycling?” Those who attend the presentation will receive a free composting bucket to collect food waste in their homes.

Winslow is the first municipality to launch a food recycling pilot program with the Mitchell Center and the DEP, although Waterville and a coalition of Fayette, Readfield and Wayne will introduce similar programs later this year. Winslow will complement community food recycling efforts with school activities and educational materials designed by Mitchell Center students and staff.

For more information about Thursday’s event, contact Erica LaCroix, Winslow town manager, 207.872.2776; elacroix@winslow-me.gov.

Susanne Lee, faculty fellow at UMaine’s Mitchell Center, is spearheading the statewide food recycling education campaign with funding from the DEP’s waste diversion grants program.  

Media advisory 

April 8, 2021 

Contact: Joan Perkins, joan.perkins@maine.edu 

The Senator George J. Mitchell Center at the University of Maine will host the first annual Food Waste Solutions Summit via Zoom from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Friday, April 9.

Media are invited to join the summit as Angel Veza of ReFED provides data to frame the food waste problem nationally and in Maine, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree offers an overview of relevant federal policies and legislation, a panel of local leaders describe their successful food recycling and rescue efforts, and Mitchell Center student interns host “how-to” sessions for participants to explore specific food waste solutions and strategies.  

Susanne Lee, faculty fellow at UMaine’s Mitchell Center, organized and will lead the summit. Visit the Mitchell Center website for the Zoom link and more information. 

To arrange an interview with Lee, please contact Joan Perkins, joan.perkins@maine.edu.