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DEC Launches Grant For Excess Food Diversion

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is launching a $4 million grant program to help generators of excess wholesome food and food scraps to expand their capacity to donate wholesome food or divert it to organics recycling facilities.

An estimated 40 percent of the food produced in the United States goes uneaten while about 2.5 million New Yorkers are food insecure. In addition to wasting natural resources, including water and nutrients, to produce food that will never be consumed, much of this organic waste is disposed of in solid waste landfills where its decomposition accounts for more than 15 percent of U.S. emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

“New York is already transforming the way we look at food waste and its implications for local communities by recognizing the importance of food scraps on our environment, economy, and health,” said Basil Seggos, state DEC commissioner. “The grants announced today will bolster Governor Cuomo’s efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change while providing food for hungry New Yorkers and diverting waste from landfills.”

New York’s large food scraps generators — supermarkets, restaurants, colleges, and hospitals–generate more than 250,000 tons of wasted food and food scraps each year, some of which is edible food. If five percent of such material were donated, food banks would see an increase of 20 percent in the amount of food available for consumption by those in need. If food scraps were diverted from landfills, more than 120,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalence reduction could be achieved each year.

The funding is provided by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund and is administered by Empire State Development, which has contracted with the state Pollution Prevention Institute to operate the funding program. The grant program will help food scraps generators to implement food waste reduction recommendations, purchase capital equipment used in food donation, and create, improve, and expand diversion efforts to on and off-site compost and anaerobic digestion facilities. To be eligible, proposed projects must reduce and/or divert wasted food at a New York state business including, but not limited to, supermarkets, restaurants and hospitals. Additional information is posted at www.rit.edu/affiliate/nysp2i/food-reimbursement.

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