The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) awarded the first Food Waste Reduction grants to 11 organizations, totaling $393,264, for projects that develop the state’s food waste infrastructure. DEQ’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) administers the grant to help local governments, non-profits and businesses reduce the amount of food waste disposed at landfills by expanding food donation networks or composting operations.
“The Food Waste Reduction grants are a key way to grow our state’s capacity to address the largest segment of our waste stream,” says DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser. “These investments fund sustainable projects that reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills, which saves valuable landfill space, improves our soils and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”
Grantees include businesses, non-profits and local governments in 11 North Carolina communities. Collectively, grants are projected to divert 20,292 tons of food waste from landfills.
FUNDED PROJECTS
- Brooks Contractor in Goldson: Storage building and concrete anchor blocks to improve processing capacity and create locally sourced potting soil.
- Buncombe County: Pre-processor and aeration kits for new aerated static pile pilot facility that will expand operations to process organics on-site.
- City of Durham: Small vertical compactor to expand food scrap collection at the convenience center.
- CompostAVL in Asheville: Lift gate, buckets and a dishwasher to increase food waste hauling capacity and add new customers.
- CompostNow in Raleigh: Install new tipping stations, reinforce loading dock and pour a concrete pad for food waste compactors to improve hauling efficiency and capacity.
- CrownTown Compost in Charlotte: Aerated static pile system to process organic materials in-house and grow business.
- Crystal Coast Compost in Hubert: Utility trailer, toter bins, buckets, route optimization software and educational materials to expand residential and commercial food scrap services.
- Henderson County: Aeration kits and carts to expand food waste processing capacity at the county’s compost facility.
- McGill Environmental in New Hill: Concrete pad for food waste sorting to expand diversion capacity and to improve finished compost quality.
- Town of Davidson: Roll carts, small bins and signage to expand the residential food scrap drop-off program throughout the city.
- Wilmington Compost Company: Box truck with lift gate, cargo van, dump truck and bins to expand diversion capacity and processing.
Grants are offered annually, depending on funding availability, to reduce the flow of food waste into landfills and strengthen the state’s recycling economy. Recipients are required to provide a minimum cash match of 20 percent of the grant award for a total investment of approximately $714,598 from 2023 funded projects.