Food Scrap Management

Local Government

Local Governments Can Divert Waste and Help Fight Hunger

Food waste diversion can help you reach AB 939 waste diversion goals! California’s landmark Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (Sher, AB 939) set ambitious goals for cities and counties: divert 50 percent of all solid waste from landfills by 2000.

As a local government representative, by promoting food banking you will:

• Increase diversion rates. Reducing food waste can help you reach your waste diversion goals. California food banks distribute over 120 million pounds of food a year to their network of community agencies.
• Increase public service. By promoting benefits of food banking to local businesses, you can fulfill an important role as a community facilitator.
• Help feed hungry families. By developing and promoting food banking programs, edible food goes to feed the hungry rather than the landfills. More than 2 million people in California live with the threat of hunger including children, families in crisis or transition, low-income senior citizens, the homeless, and, increasingly, the working poor. California food banks provide more than 90 million meals for low-income families annually.

You can help!

You, as a local government representative, can help promote food banking and food rescue programs in many ways. Some examples are:

• Identify the food-generating businesses in your area. Familiarize yourself with issues and concerns faced by these businesses, such as liability and tax benefits.
• Market your local food bank as part of your recycling or waste management educational campaign.
• Identify creative ways to disseminate food bank information to potential donors. For example, develop an agreement with the county health inspectors. As they inspect restaurants, caterers, and cafeterias, they could hand out brochures explaining the services offered by their local food rescue programs. This literature can also explain liability protection and potential tax benefits.
• Implement a waste management grant program to fund food banking proposals.
• Invite food bank representatives to speak at government meetings.
• Promote food banking through community venues such as the chamber of commerce and other local community groups.
• Identify food-generating businesses and target them for outreach materials.
• Target your local government buildings, correctional institutions and schools to implement pilot food donation programs.
• Establish a policy to encourage or require government-sponsored events or institutions (such as schools, correctional institutions or corporate cafeterias) to donate edible food.
• Create an awards program to recognize generous businesses that donate food.

Successful local government and food bank partnerships

Local waste management departments and food banks create excellent partners. Diverting food that normally would be landfilled to feed hungry people meets both waste management and food bank goals.

The City and County of San Francisco’s Recycling Program offers grant funding for waste diversion projects. In 1996, funding was awarded to the San Francisco Food Bank (SFFB) to create an improved produce redistribution program. The SFFB purchased a new truck and hired a driver to pick up produce at the San Francisco Produce Terminal five days per week.

The program was so successful that the SFFB has been awarded grants every year since 1996 and has purchased a forklift, a sorter/conveyor system, and an additional truck for donor pickups. The amount of produce redistributed went from approximately 877,000 pounds prior to 1996 to approximately 2.5 million pounds in 1999.

Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Management Authority also provided funding to a local food bank. The Contra Costa Food Bank (CCFB) received $5,000 to augment outreach efforts for its prepared and perishable food program. This program focuses on picking up leftover food from corporate cafeterias, hospital dining rooms, caterers, hotels, schools, and selected restaurants in the county.

The majority of the funding paid for the development and printing of a brochure to target potential business donors. Seventy targeted businesses received a direct mailing of this brochure. CCFB staff will also conduct site visits and follow-up at these businesses. CCFB also partnered with the Clean Water Program, which conducts annual inspections of all restaurants in the county, to help distribute the brochure.

Schools and hospitals also donate to food rescue programs. The Salvation Army in the City of Monterey, California collects leftover meals from St. Catalina School and Monterey Community Hospital in Monterey. An average of 40 meals per day is collected from both locations. The Salvation Army feeds about 100 meals per day to the homeless in Monterey County.

Additional resources. A listing of food banks and food rescue organizations, as well as helpful publications.

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