Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Recognized with NJDEP Recycling and Sustainability Award
The Medical Center’s food waste reduction program was recognized for increasing the hospital’s sustainability
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) honored businesses, organizations and individual recycling leaders during an annual symposium hosted by the Association of New Jersey Recyclers (ANJR). Bergen New Bridge Medical Center received an award for its food waste reduction measures that prevented 14,562 pounds of food waste from occurring in 2022, which was the equivalent of saving 12,134 meals.
“My DEP colleagues and I congratulate this year’s award winners and applaud them for sharing their passion for recycling, waste reduction and conservation of resources with all of us,” said Shawn M. LaTourette, Commissioner, NJDEP. “These leaders are making a difference through the excitement and new ideas they bring to their communities, their businesses, and their schools. In doing so, they continue to build upon New Jersey’s tradition of leading the way on recycling for the nation. In addition, we congratulate and thank Marie Kruzan for more than three decades of tireless dedication to advancing the recycling ethic throughout the Garden State through her work with ANJR.”
“As the nation’s fourth largest publicly owned hospital, we keep looking for ways to become a more sustainable and eco-friendlier Medical Center,” said Deborah Visconi, President and CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “Achievements like this cannot happen without the dedication of our employees across several departments to reach a common goal, which in this case saved food and eliminates a significant amount of waste from being generated.”
The facility’s food waste reduction initiative is run as an employee engagement program, which recognizes team members tracking food waste as Waste Warriors. The entire medical center was included in a campaign to raise awareness about the food waste initiative through their managers, internal communications, and posters in food service locations.
