Title
Approval of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) Grant Application for an Amount Not To Exceed $400,000 for the Purpose of Developing a Community Food Composting Program
Recommended Motion
I move that Council give approval to submit a USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction Grant Application in an amount not to exceed $400,000 for the purpose of developing a community food composting program.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
Recently, County staff identified the USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction grant program. The USDA CFWR grant encourages innovative scalable waste management plans that reduce and divert food waste from landfills. The Federal funding agency expects to award approximately $7.8 million through this opportunity. The goals and objectives of this program are to reduce municipal food and waste, divert residential commercial food waste from landfills, increase agricultural producers’ access to compost, reduce reliance on, and limit the use of, chemical fertilizer, improve soil quality, encourage waste management and permaculture business development, and increase rainwater utilization (capture, infiltration, or absorption).
The County is preparing a grant application to establish necessary water and electrical infrastructure for food waste composting. Additionally, grant funds will be requested to train employees and provide education and outreach for the residential and business community.
There is 25% match or in-kind requirement for this grant. Attachment A shows the Grant Matrix which gives details about this specific grant and shows County Manager approval.
Alternatives
If Council does not approve this application all project funding would be passed on to residents via increased fees, or the program may not move forward
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
If this grant is approved and ...
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