Food Waste Reduction Initiative Happening Now April was Food Waste Reduction Month, but we’re committed year round! Check out the Food Waste Reduction Month Proclamation. If you missed the #AVLFoodWasteChallenge don’t fret, you can always conduct a home food waste audit and share your observations with your friends and the local food waste community! In July 2020 the Office of Sustainability was selected to participate in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Food Matters Regional Initiative Southeastern cohort alongside Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, and Orlando. This project aims to build a foundation for organizing and expanding the City of Asheville’s food waste reduction initiatives in partnership with key community stakeholders. Through this initiative, the Office of Sustainability is exploring food waste strategies at city facilities, supporting community coalition building and strengthening the visibility of the community food waste reduction efforts. Look for the “Save the Food Asheville” logo on sanitation trucks, social media and popping up around town as we collaborate with community partners to share tips and tricks to keep food out of the landfill. Keep up to date on campaign activities, events and resources by following @wncfoodwaste on social media and checking out the Food Waste Solutions WNC website HERE. Reducing food waste is as easy as 1, 2, 3 (4!) – join the fun! Have a cooking tip, photo of your compost bin or other resources to share? Use hashtag #savethefoodavl and #savethefoodwnc to keep the conversation going! Background In 2017 Asheville City Council adopted a revised Food Policy Action Plan. Resolution 17-257 identified Resource Stewardship as a focus area with an objective to “create an actionable plan for city food waste recovery, composting and redistribution”. Up to 40 percent of food in the United States is wasted contributing to extensive environmental, economic and societal impacts. Up to 400 pounds of food per person is wasted annually with a family of four spending at least $1,800/year on wasted food. Here in Buncombe County an estimated 57,500 tons of food is wasted annually. This is food that could feed our neighbors, dollars that could otherwise circulate in our local economies, and landfill space dedicated to unnecessary waste. The Food Waste Reduction Initiative aims to provide useful information and tips to residents seeking ways to reduce their household food waste, pilot opportunities for community compost drop sites, elevate the message of food waste reduction, and model food waste reduction initiatives in city facilities. Timeline January-March 2021 Food Waste Prevention Month Proclamation Public Education campaign on Food waste April – June 2020 Conduct food waste snapshot audits at city facilities, publish results Launch community composting site Resources City of Asheville Sanitation Division – information on recycling and waste reduction initiatives Food Waste Solutions WNC – community network including tips, tricks, and local resources Supporting Documents Food Waste Reduction Month Proclamation Resolution 20-25 Climate Emergency Declaration Climate Resilience Assessment Resolution 11-77 Establishing 4% CO2 Reduction Goal Resolution 14-27 Waste Reduction Goal and Benchmarks Resolution 17-257 Food Policy Action Plan Contact Information Kiera Bulan, Sustainability Coordinator Related Services Dispose of large, seasonal or unusual items Information about disposing of large or unusual items such as furniture, household hazardous waste, or appliances. As well as instructions for brush, leaves, or Christmas trees. 3 Services Recycling guidelines Information on what can be recycled, how to prepare items for collection, and composting. 4 Services More Related Services Food Waste Reduction Initiative News City of Asheville supports food waste reduction bill introduced to Congress Posted on July 29, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Earlier in July, a group of representatives and senators introduced the Zero Food Waste Act to Congress. This legislation would advance the federal goal of halving US food loss and waste by 2030 and reduce the climate, resource, economic, and social impacts of food waste. This bill would help communities meet local, regional, and [...] Asheville Office of Sustainability shares results of recent food waste audit Posted on June 24, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Did you know that in the US nearly 40% of food is wasted, clogging our landfills and costing us over $408 billion annually?! The City of Asheville is working hard to think of solutions to reduce our waste and save our food. The City of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Sanitation and Buncombe County, [...] Office of Sustainability will work with consultant to develop Municipal Climate Action Plan Posted on June 17, 2021June 24, 2021 by Christy Edwards At the June 8 City Council meeting, City Council voted unanimously to enter into a contract with environmental strategy firm AECOM to update the City’s Sustainability Management Plan into a Municipal Climate Action Plan [MCAP]. The purpose of the Municipal Climate Action Plan is to update the [...] More Food Waste Reduction Initiative News
City of Asheville supports food waste reduction bill introduced to Congress Posted on July 29, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Earlier in July, a group of representatives and senators introduced the Zero Food Waste Act to Congress. This legislation would advance the federal goal of halving US food loss and waste by 2030 and reduce the climate, resource, economic, and social impacts of food waste. This bill would help communities meet local, regional, and [...]
Asheville Office of Sustainability shares results of recent food waste audit Posted on June 24, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Did you know that in the US nearly 40% of food is wasted, clogging our landfills and costing us over $408 billion annually?! The City of Asheville is working hard to think of solutions to reduce our waste and save our food. The City of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Sanitation and Buncombe County, [...]
Office of Sustainability will work with consultant to develop Municipal Climate Action Plan Posted on June 17, 2021June 24, 2021 by Christy Edwards At the June 8 City Council meeting, City Council voted unanimously to enter into a contract with environmental strategy firm AECOM to update the City’s Sustainability Management Plan into a Municipal Climate Action Plan [MCAP]. The purpose of the Municipal Climate Action Plan is to update the [...]