Dive Brief: U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics on Saturday at COP28, the annual climate conference.  The strategy takes a "whole-of-government" approach to improve circularity for organics, pulling together research and existing funding opportunities from the EPA, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. It’s designed to help the agenices meet their joint goal of reducing food loss and waste 50% by 2030. The Biden-Harris administration plans to make use of existing programs that have already begun doling out resources for organics infrastructure like the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program and Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program. Other programs, like the USDA's Composting and Food Waste Reduction, will also be harnessed for the strategy's objectives. Dive Insight: Federal agencies have been working toward their 50% food waste reduction goal since 2015. In recent years, the Biden administration has continued that work by building up a body of research on the harms of landfilled organics and the benefits that come from rerouting food from loss and disposal. In October, the agency released a study finding that 58% of methane emissions from landfills come from organics, including yard and food waste. It determined that most of those emissions occur in the first few years organics are landfilled, often before gas capture systems are installed. The issue of landfilled food is also growing — the EPA found that 62.5 million tons of food was landfilled in 2020, double the total in 1990. Meanwhile, the administration released a National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health last year that included a goal to reduce barriers to food recovery. The strategy cited USDA research finding that one-third of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten and set deliverables to reduce that waste, including the development of the food loss strategy. The new food loss strategy’s objectives are to prevent the loss of food where possible, prevent the waste of food where possible, increase the recycling rate for all organic waste and support policies that incentivize and encourage food loss and waste prevention and organics recycling. "Reducing food loss and waste is one of the most impactful actions we can take to reduce climate pollution and build a circular economy," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. "Working together with our partners at USDA and FDA, we will take actions to significantly reduce waste and the pollution that comes with it while improving our food system and boosting the economy." The strategy notes that current organics recycling infrastructure nationwide is insufficient to address the issue of waste, and endorses the use of funding from programs like EPA’s SWIFR grant program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to improve that infrastructure. The strategy also makes special mention of the need to build out such infrastructure in historically disadvantaged communities, noting that grant funding should go to such projects as part of the administration’s Justice40 initiatives. The agencies also committed to researching barriers to decentralized community composting. The agencies also plan to continue supporting anaerobic digestion via grants and loans to agricultural producers, water resource recovery facilities and municipalities. Programs that fund such projects include the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, which provides both loan guarantees and grants to agricultural producers and rural small businesses, and EPA’s AgSTAR program.  The USDA also plans to invest $30 million over the next three years into its Composting and Food Waste Reduction cooperative agreement program, which helps local governments and private sector partners develop municipal compost plans and/or food waste reduction plans, per the strategy. The strategy also includes a suite of research and data measures the administration plans to take to track the issue and report on progress. Among those measures are the development of a “decision support tool” to help local governments identify appropriate circular solutions and a newly announced strategy to better monitor landfill methane emissions. The food loss strategy also noted the recent launch of the USDA's Center for Research, Behavioral Economics, and Extension on Food, Loss and Waste center, a $1.5 million research program to "address inefficiencies in the food system.” The food loss strategy also noted the agencies' ongoing work with food waste nonprofit ReFED, which announced its own national pact this week with grocers, food manufacturers and others to track their food loss and waste data. Moving forward, data and measurements will be reported in the administration’s annual Report on the Environment, which the strategy’s authors hope will allow agencies to “become proactive rather than reactive” in addressing the issue. The 30 day public comment period for the strategy ends on Jan. 4. The administration plans to address those comments and begin implementing the strategy in 2024.

Eureka Recycling, a nonprofit recycler based in the Twin Cities area, has announced Katie Drews and Miriam Holsinger will become the organization’s co-presidents on Dec. 18.  Incoming Eureka Recycling Co-Presidents Miriam Holsinger and Katie Drews Courtesy of Eureka Recycling   Drews and Holsinger say Eureka’s co-president model is part of the organization's aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workforce, especially as the waste and recycling industry continues to evolve. Drews is the organization’s first woman of color in the role. The two will assume leadership from Kate Davenport and Lynn Hoffman, who have served as co-presidents since 2016. Davenport and Hoffman will temporarily stay with the organization to help with the transition, but they plan to leave Eureka in early 2024, they said in a joint letter. Founded in 2001, Eureka’s Minneapolis MRF processes between 400 and 450 tons per day. It also provides curbside recycling service in Saint Paul and some surrounding suburbs. Eureka, which calls itself a “zero waste laboratory,” offers MRF services and advocates for zero waste and reuse policies in Minnesota and throughout the U.S. As part of its environmental mission, all of the recyclables it processes go to markets in the U.S., with 90% sold in the Midwest.  “Eureka is unique in that we are nonprofit, and we do have really strong operations, but we are also doing this to move the needle and change systems that perpetuate waste,” said Drews, who joined Eureka in 2021. “We're not just one thing, and this really supports having diverse leadership and having really robust and creative ideas in order to tackle these really big challenges.” Having two leaders also gives Drews and Holsinger space to bounce ideas off each other and bring in a variety of perspectives, they said.  “We're balancing our operational needs. Even though we're not-for-profit, we run our operations as for-profit business units with our mission of trying to demonstrate waste is preventable,” Holsinger said. “We’re playing the game, and then we're also figuring out how to change the game to make it better for everyone. Having two people really helps us balance those two things at the same time.” Holsinger has worked in the recycling and waste industry for over 20 years, 17 of which have been for Eureka, she said. She currently serves as the vice president of operations and business intelligence. Drews, who is currently the senior vice president, came to the industry with a background in both nonprofit and corporate settings where she worked on workforce development, business strategy and marketing leadership. Their partnership will be especially beneficial as the company continues to work on big initiatives in 2024 and beyond, they said.  Eureka is known for its work advocating for national recycling policy initiatives and is in the midst of supporting numerous policy initiatives related to extended producer responsibility and deposit return systems, Drews said. It is also a founding member of the Alliance of Mission-Based Recyclers. “We are at a pretty pivotal moment for recycling and zero waste,” she said. “There’s a lot on the horizon.”  Reuse initiatives are another important growth area for the organization, said Holsinger, who also serves on board of the nonprofit Reuse Minnesota, which works with businesses to promote reuse strategies.  Recycling remains a key effort for Eureka, but the organization sees it as one component of a larger zero waste strategy, Holsinger added.  “When we look at recycling through a zero waste lens, we're asking ourselves, ‘Is this benefiting our community? Is this benefiting our economy? Is this benefiting the environment?' So we're not just recycling to recycle.”  As one of just a few sizable nonprofit recyclers in the U.S., Drews and Holsinger say they have a responsibility to demonstrate ways that recycling can positively impact communities and the environment while also providing a positive work environment. The organization has almost 150 employees, and every position receives full-time pay and the same benefits, they said.  “It is a pretty dangerous industry, and making sure people are protected and valued and supported is why we think that mission-based nonprofit work in this sector is important,” Drews said.  Drews and Holsinger will transition into their new roles by working closely with the rest of the executive team, according to an announcement. Drews and Holsinger will also work closely with Kris Foner and Kristin Poffenberger, who are stepping into executive vice president roles.  Davenport and Hoffman have been “exemplary leaders” who are credited with shaping the organization’s involvement in recycling innovation and policy, said Tim Brownell, chair of the board of directors, in a statement. “Their contributions have been instrumental in our organization's success,” he said.

Baltimore-based biosolids company Synagro recently acquired Massachusetts-based New England Fertilizer Co., the buyer announced Wednesday. The deal expands Synagro's processing capabilities at thermal drying facilities and is among the largest in a string of acquisitions the company has made in recent years. The purchase happened in May, according to a release. NEFCO brings five biosolids processing facilities to Synagro with nearly 800 additional tons of drying capacity across the newly acquired portfolio. "Joining the Synagro team was a great decision for the combined business as well as providing additional opportunities for our employees," Larry Bishop, general manager of NEFCO, said in a statement. “We are excited to be part of such a great team, with our proven capabilities working together to provide innovative client solutions.” NEFCO operates facilities in Quincy, Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Cumberland, Maryland; Shakopee, Minnesota; and West Palm Beach, Florida. The company was founded in 1986 to manage sewage sludge disposal for the Greater Boston area and help end the discharge of biosolids into Boston Harbor, according to an archived version of its website.  The deal follows three other recent acquisitions made by Synagro as it follows a “sustainable growth plan,” according to the release. That includes a deal for Liberty Compost, a California-based biosolids and composting operator, that was announced last year. Synagro managed about 6.5 million tons of biosolids in 2022, according to the company's sustainability plan. The company is also looking to increase the amount of biosolids it diverts from landfills and toward beneficial reuse. Last year, the percentage of biosolids it diverted was 80%. “We recognize the important role we play in the circular economy, and by executing upon our strategy, we can further accelerate our contribution to divert biosolids and other organics from landfills,” Ben Gilreath, Synagro’s vice president of corporate development and mergers and acquisitions, said in a statement. 

Dive Brief: The U.S. EPA announced this week an estimated $2 billion in funding is available for local projects, including waste-related initiatives, through its Community Challenge Grants program. Among many potential focus areas, the program encourages applications for two waste-specific categories: “Waste reduction and management to support a circular economy” and “safe management and disposal of solid and hazardous waste.” Applications will be open for a year, closing on Nov. 21, 2024, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. According to the agency, this “allows applicants to utilize technical assistance and possibly resubmit a new application if not initially selected.” Dive Insight: This funding, which comes from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is described by the EPA as the “single largest investment in environmental justice going directly to communities in history.” The agency said the program is designed in a way that will enable disadvantaged communities to access funding for climate-related projects and advance elements of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative. “This historic, unprecedented funding has the promise to turn disadvantaged and overburdened areas into healthy, resilient, and thriving communities for current and future generations,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a statement. Examples of eligible proposals in the waste reduction category include “efforts to reduce food waste (e.g., composting, anaerobic digestors), or to promote the reduction, reuse, and recycling of disaster debris, construction and demolition debris, and other materials and products.” Agency guidance said this might entail projects such as a community-scale composting program, edible food recovery programs, educational campaigns about the climate benefits of reducing food waste or a community-scale recycling program. Projects proposed in this category are expected to measure progress in terms of pounds or tons of waste diverted from landfills, recycled or composted. The agency anticipates such projects should lead to “cleaner communities” and lower emissions from waste being disposed in landfills or incinerators. Examples of proposals in the solid and hazardous waste category include “the purchase of equipment and the development of facilities” to manage this material. This might involve equipment for hazardous waste sampling, collection and processing infrastructure for household hazardous waste or electronics, projects that reduce demand for single-use plastic products (such as water bottle refill stations and water fountains) and waste transfer or recycling infrastructure. EPA will measure results from these grants through categories such as the amount of tires diverted from disposal, increased access to residential composting options and the amount of new infrastructure “installed in underserved communities,” among other metrics. The agency is designating $200 million of the funding to offer technical assistance to applicants and grant recipients, and it is designating target investment amounts for five categories of recipients. This includes $150 million for tribes in Alaska, $300 million for other tribal communities, $50 million for U.S. territories, $50 million for “disadvantaged unincorporated communities” and $100 million for non-tribal communities near the southern border with Mexico. The newly available funding follows last month’s award of an estimated $128 million worth of grants for other environmental justice-focused projects, including multiple waste and recycling proposals. That funding also came from the Inflation Reduction Act, but through separate initiatives.  The EPA also has been active in doling out grants for waste and recycling projects with funding from the 2021 infrastructure law. Recent examples include $33 million for recycling education projects, $60 million for waste infrastructure in tribal communities and $105 million for waste and recycling projects in various other communities.

Mayor Eric Adams is proposing eliminating the New York City community composting program and delaying rollout of curbside residential organics collection in certain boroughs by seven months as part of sweeping budget cuts. The proposal, published Thursday, is part of across-the-board 5% budget cuts Adams has directed all city agencies to make as the city faces a projected budget shortfall beginning this fiscal year and extending into future years. The mayor has indicated an additional 5% cut may be necessary again in January. The cuts would have ripple effects throughout the city’s management of organics and waste: reducing litter cleanup, shuttering farmer’s market food waste drop-off sites and ending funding for several mid-sized community composting sites, those familiar with the funding said. “It’s a tremendous loss,” Beth Slepian, vice chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, said. “This creates a huge access issue for people to composting.” In response to a request for comment, the mayor’s office cited a press conference held by the mayor Tuesday in which he said “I’m angry also” about the cuts. “Instead of doing that budget that I am excited about doing, we have to move in another direction and look at these cost savings to continue to have our city operate and to abide by the law,” Adams said. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Finance Chair James Brannan released a statement last week indicating skepticism about the planned cuts, saying they are “too blunt and not the prudent or sole choice.” The city council did not vote to approve a round of budget cuts last year, but the leaders said in their statement this year that they would negotiate with the administration over the November plan.  Community composting fallout New York City has funded local composting programs in various capacities since the NYC Compost Project began in 1993. Today, program partners divert more than 8.3 million pounds of organic waste each year, provide compost outreach and education to 600,000 city residents annually and train “master composters” through a city-run program, Justin Green, a partner in the program through his nonprofit Big Reuse, said.  Green, who runs compost operations in Gowanus and Queensbridge, said without the community composting program he’d be unable to pay operators for his two sites and may have to close them. That would remove two million annual pounds of organic waste processing capacity from the city, which Green said would be “devastating” for the communities that have come to expect a sustainable organic solution. “The community’s very supportive of it,” Green said. “It’s unusual for communities to be like, ‘No, we want composting to happen in our community.’ There’s that effort because they see the benefit and our process allows them to be involved in helping to turn their waste into a benefit.” The proposed cuts will impact 115 jobs in community composting, according to a petition circulated by GrowNYC urging the Adams administration to save the program. The proposed budget cuts would also impact 262 uniformed employees and 321 civilian employees across DSNY, according to the proposal.  Domingo Morales, founder of Compost Power, said “a lot of Black and brown people are going to lose their jobs,” many who are seeking a stable, green career path. “It’s horrible for them. They take this job because there’s hopes of breaking these barriers, diversifying the green economy,” Morales said. Morales got his start in Green City Force, an AmeriCorps program that works with young and unemployed public housing residents. The program placed him at a composting facility in Red Hook, where he received training and began a career that continues today.  But Morales said the facility, which was supported by DSNY, faced staffing challenges depending on the city’s financial health. Today, he’s turned his attention toward building composting programs at public housing sites without financial support from DSNY, in part because the agency laid him off during the coronavirus pandemic. He describes the budget uncertainty facing organizations involved in the community composting program as “cyclical torture.” Morales said the cuts, which occur just a few years after the pandemic affected funding for organics programs, should provoke a broader conversation about the detrimental impacts of relying on the whims of New York City’s budget.  “We're supporting something that is volatile,” Morales said. “We need to have a healthy conversation to build a system in New York City that is sustainable, regardless of what the mayor's office is able to afford.” Green, executive director of Big Reuse, said he would need to lay off his 10-person community composting team and nine outreach employees, nearly half of his full-time staff. Lower East Side Ecology Center Executive Director Christine Datz-Romero said she would have to lay off 10 of her 17 full-time staff members.  Collection and infrastructure effects The cuts will hamstring efforts to broaden community support for composting at a time when the city is planning to expand its services, several sources said. The U.S. EPA announced last week it was granting DSNY $2 million to support outreach efforts, but that’s outweighed by a proposed $4.1 million reduction in outreach and communications at the department in the coming fiscal year. Vincent Gragnani, press secretary for DSNY, said in an email that the grant money would not be affected by the proposed budget cuts, but DSNY is “still working on an implementation plan for the grant.” He declined to comment further on the cuts. DSNY is also proposing delaying the rollout of curbside organics collection in the Bronx and Staten Island from April to October of 2024. The program has already begun in Queens and Brooklyn. Datz-Romero said residents will lose confidence in the city’s ability to handle organics as a result of the cuts and delays, comparing it to recycling budget cuts that affected DSNY in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. “We have seen the credibility of recycling programs really suffer if there are suspensions,” Datz-Romero said. “People will scratch their heads to understand, so why is this delayed if it's that important?” Datz-Romero said DSNY has already instructed her to begin the process of shutting down certain operations by Dec. 31 in preparation for the cuts. The LES Ecology Center had also been preparing to build and operate a composting site in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn when the cuts were announced last week. Now, despite having put in time and money to clear the site, receive the necessary permits, hire a construction manager and evaluate bid proposals for construction, DSNY is ending the plans. “There’s a lot of work that has gotten done in preparation for this, and all of that is basically now wasted effort and money because the money to build the facility has disappeared,” Datz-Romero said. Brenda Platt, director of ILSR's Composting for Community Initiative, said the loss of community composting outreach and training for new Master Composters will lead to less educated residents who feel less of a connection to the waste stream. Platt notes that certain independent composting sites, including those run by Compost Power, will likely remain even after the budget cuts. But she said the loss of educational and training programs will hinder the growth of a system that builds “the social resilience of New York communities and the physical resilience of the infrastructure in New York.” “They become these laboratories of seeding these people and these programs all throughout New York City,” Platt said. “This is really a devastating loss that's going to reverberate to dozens if not hundreds of other community gardens and composters in the city.” New York City Council Sanitation Chair Sandy Nurse said councilmembers like herself had hoped that language in the Zero Waste Act passed in June would have done more to protect the community composting program. One of the provisions of the law requires DSNY to ensure there are at least 30 organic waste drop-off sites citywide, with at least three in each borough. She said councilmembers may propose new legislation to better protect the program's partners and the education, outreach and composting work they do. "We're going to fight and try as hard as possible to restore funding," Nurse said. “To have such a drastic cut off in such a short period of time is truly unacceptable.”