The Edgartown transfer station for the four-town district is now accepting food waste for composting. The pilot program began last week.

Central composting facilities and a variety of community initiatives are among the final recommendations of an Islandwide food waste study that wraps up this month.

A four-month pilot study, which began in June, may set the stage for an Islandwide composting program that could help businesses comply with the state’s ban on commercial food waste.

Every year, 40 per cent of the food grown in this country is never eaten. The waste happens in farm fields, during processing and transportation, in grocery stores, restaurants, and in our homes.

A state ban on commercial food waste has yet to be enforced, but Islanders have launched a comprehensive study of the issue.

Massachusetts has become the first state in the nation to put a ban on commercial food waste entering landfills. Larger businesses on the Vineyard are preparing for the changes, and businesses and residents are feeling the need for more composting regulations.