RESTRUCTURING COMMUNITY IN THE FACE OF FOOD WASTE: NETWORK RESPONSE TO VERMONT'S UNIVERSAL RECYCLING LAW

Abstract

Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law (Act 148) created a fresh set of opportunities as well as challenges for the rural state’s businesses and residences alike. Enacted in 2012, this law was the first to ban statewide landfilling of recyclables and food waste, and in turn, disrupted status quo, and reconceptualized how Vermonters define ‘waste.’ In response, networks of food system and waste professions have emerged to restructure their community and waste system. This study explores those networks, and their horizontal governance structures, to understand their effects on the complex issue of food waste. Using two main networks, the Food Cycle Coalition (FCC) and the Solid Waste Implementation Advisory Committee (SWIAC), this study finds that elements of information exchange and inclusion of diverse perspectives exist that could lead to positive behavior change. Finally, this study recommends that municipalities adopt multilevel governance when enacting laws that shift behaviors, and makes a case for planners to recognize their role in the changing waste landscape.