Iowa Project Fights Food Waste

Not every state has its own Waste Reduction Center. Even fewer have a state-wide Food Waste Reduction Project. Actually, I can’t think of one.

While Iowa has long had the former (a part of the University of Northern Iowa for 25 years), it just now has the latter with the launch of the Iowa Food Waste Reduction Project site.

While in Iowa this week I had the chance to meet with a staffer from the fledgling project, and I’m excited to see how much they can accomplish. The Project will focus on reducing the amount of waste created and then diverting the existing waste from landfills.

The site serves as a resource for all sides of the food waste coin, providing strategies for waste reduction (from homes to restaurants to institutions) as well as connecting waste generators with potential food waste recycling options. In addition to serving as a hub for food waste info, the Project will first focus on outreach to the largest food waste generators–institutions like hospitals and schools.

In the coming months, they will  also identify barriers to food waste reduction and recycling and push for policy changes to ease both. Sounds exciting and progressive! Stay tuned…