BJ's First Wholesale Club to Join National Effort to Reduce Food Waste

By Michael Bednarsky

BJ’s Wholesale Club is the first wholesale club to become part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge.

The company is headquartered in Westborough and has stores on the North Shore in Danvers, Revere, Stoneham, Haverhill and Medford.

EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge is a national initiative aimed at encouraging businesses to actively participate in food waste prevention, surplus food donation and food waste diversion from landfill or incineration. The campaign targets venues that traditionally manage large quantities of food and food waste.


According to EPA’s Municipal Characterization Report, Americans are wasting more than 36 million tons of food per year. 96 percent of that food is thrown away into landfills or incinerators.


“Nationally, food waste contributes to approximately 13% of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Bill Peters, Assistant Vice President of Safety & Regulatory Compliance at BJ’s Wholesale Club. “Our partnership with the United States Environmental Protection Agency under the Food Recovery Challenge will help keep food out of the landfill and minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the communities we serve.”

Click here for more information about the Food Recovery Challenge.