Project aims to reduce food waste.
Going green, in spite of all its sustainable and cost advantages, can be a daunting task for small businesses. One NFIB member group wants to make it easy.
The Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) has received an $83,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help businesses around the state improve their waste-reduction practices. A yearlong project funded by the grant launched Oct. 1 and provides on-site guidance for businesses looking to divert their food waste away from landfills.
That’s where 40 percent of the country’s food ends up, according to the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC). The problem is that many businesses aren’t given the resources to address food waste—or a hand to navigate the regulatory jungle.
“We work with businesses to use some of the resources we’ve developed and walk them, hand-in-hand, through what they can do,” said Joe Bolick, IWRC’s communications and public relations manager. IWRC’s resources include regulations summarized “in plain English” and detailed, industry-specific guides for small businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact.
The NRDC estimates that Americans waste $165 billion in food each year, and Iowa is no exception. Wasted food makes up over 13 percent of the state’s landfills, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
IWRC plans to use its newly funded project to tackle the federal government’s goal to cut food waste in half by 2030.
“That is the primary goal for the new project, to provide direct on-site technical assistance to educate businesses on how to reduce food waste and divert it from the landfill,” Associate Director Dan Nickey said in a statement. “It’s projects like this that are going to build the foundation to reach that 50 percent reduction goal for America.”
