 For Mont's Universal Recycling Law, Act 148 bans certain reusable and valuable materials from the landfill in order to create a more sustainable future. All food scraps across Vermont, including scraps from residential properties, will be required to be composted, donated, fed to animals used to generate electricity or other opportunities that allow the materials to be reused. In just one year of Act 148, food shelf donations increased by 30%. To keep food out of the landfill, restaurants and grocery stores direct donations to food shelves have more than doubled since the implementation of Act 148. Vermont Technical College is currently operating an anaerobic digester named Bertha, fueled by a mix of manure and food scraps. Bertha generates enough energy to heat the college, send some electricity back into the grid and distribute leftover nutrients back into Vermont farms. Food scraps banned from the landfill are being fed to animals, getting turned into compost and helping to keep Vermont water, air and soils clean. We also decrease greenhouse gas emissions when food scraps stay out of the landfill. Leaves, yard debris and clean wood will be banned from landfills. The agency of natural resources will be requiring solid waste haulers and facilities to provide services to process these materials so that practicing sustainable waste disposal will be easier than ever before. Between 2014 and 2015, the amount of organics kept out of the landfill and put to a beneficial use has increased by 15%. That means more electricity generated, more animals fed and more soil created. Brought to you by the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District. For more information, go to cvswmd.org or 802recycles.com. This material is based upon work supported under a grant by the Rural Utility Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital or family status. The Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District is an equal opportunity provider and employer.