This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to run a competitive grant program to help reduce food waste. Eligible recipients include States, territorial, local, and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and partnerships of those groups. Grants may fund studies and planning (excluding nonprofits for those grants), data collection and public reporting (excluding nonprofits for those grants), and projects that prevent, rescue, upcycle, recycle, or otherwise reduce food waste. The program’s goal is to cut food waste 50% by 2035 compared to 2015. The bill lists specific allowed activities such as differential pricing to discourage landfill or incineration disposal, technical assistance, disposal restrictions, demand-stimulating policies for recycling markets, and other EPA-approved activities. For anaerobic digestion projects, applicants must provide an end-product recycling plan, limit animal waste to 20% of feedstock, and use source separated organics for the non-animal portion. Nonprofit applicants must include a letter of support from a relevant government or an eligible nonprofit with experience in the region. Recipients must report results to the EPA. The EPA must publish an annual report to Congress on progress and promote learning among grantees.
If you work for a State, local, territorial, or Tribal government, or for a qualifying nonprofit, you could apply for funding to study food waste, collect local data, or run projects that reduce food waste. Some grants for studies and data collection are limited to government entities. Projects can include preventing surplus food from being created, redirecting edible surplus to people, making new food from surplus, or turning food waste into nonfood products. Communities of color, low-income communities, and Tribal communities that have faced worse health or environmental impacts are prioritized for some project grants. Grantees must share data and results with the EPA.
The bill authorizes $650,000,000 to be appropriated each year for fiscal years 2026 through 2035 to carry out the program, with funds to remain available until expended.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.