The article, “Along Route 202: New trash, recycling carts arrive in Granby,” [Gazette, June 16] describes the recent “new five-year collection contract,” which began on July 1 with USA Waste & Recycling. The new system will make recycling more convenient for Granby residents, with each household receiving its own trash and recycling cart to be picked up once a week. But convenience alone shouldn’t be the end goal.

As a canvasser for MassPIRG this past summer, a nonprofit working to end food waste in Massachusetts by 2032, I spoke with residents throughout western Massachusetts and heard firsthand about the issues they care about most. I’ve also seen the opportunities we have to recover edible food and get it to people in need before it ever becomes waste.

USA Waste & Recycling itself recognizes the value of food-waste diversion, noting that its commercial food-waste recycling services can turn diverted food waste into resources such as renewable energy and soil amendments. So as Granby begins a new five-year waste collection contract, perhaps we should be asking a bigger question: How can we make sure we’re not simply collecting our waste more efficiently and composting it, but actually reducing the amount of waste we send away in the first place?

Solutions already exist. Businesses can partner with local food pantries to donate edible surplus before it’s thrown away. What can’t be eaten can go to local farms, where it’s turned into animal feed. According to a 2023 UMass Amherst press release, the university ranked No. 2 among large campuses nationally in the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, diverting more than 60% of its waste through a mix of composting, recycling, and most importantly, food donation programs.

So why can’t a small, tight-knit community like Granby do the same, not only composting, but when it’s possible, making sure good food feeds people and families in need before it ever becomes trash? Granby’s Select Board should ask USA Waste & Recycling what food-donation options exist under this new contract, and residents can start by reaching out to town officials to request it.

Greigh Cloward

West Brookfield