Food Waste Initiative: Resources and Media

• Model Municipal Zoning Ordinance on Community Composting (June 2024)
  • Adapts zoning codes to make community composting a permissible land use.
    • An “off-the-shelf” model policy or template without commentaries may be found here.
    • A background memorandum may be found here.
    • A slide deck may be found here.
• Model Ordinance Establishing a Pay-As-You-Throw Program for Residential Municipal Solid Waste (November 2023)
  • Establishes a local PAYT program that incentivizes household organics recycling.
    • An “off-the-shelf” model policy or template without commentaries may be found here.
• Model Executive Order on Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction (July 2023)
  • Adopts a suite of actions to reduce the amount of food wasted throughout municipal operations, thereby highlighting the importance of food waste reduction and demonstrating measures that businesses and other entities may replicate.
    • An “off-the-shelf” model policy or template without commentaries may be found here.
    • A background memorandum may be found here.
• Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators (July 2022)
  • Requires reporting by large generators to provide data on food waste generation, increase awareness about food waste, and ultimately reduce disposal of wasted food in favor of prevention, rescue, and recycling.
    • An “off-the-shelf” model policy or template without commentaries may be found here.
    • A background memorandum may be found here.
• Model Compost Procurement Policy (July 2021)
  • Requires the use of compost where appropriate to realize economic and environmental benefits and foster the development of robust food scrap recycling infrastructure.
    • An “off-the-shelf” model policy or template without commentaries may be found here.

Toolkits 

• A Toolkit for Implementing Share Tables in Municipal Schools (September 2023)
  • Provides background information on share tables, which are designated areas within schools where students can place or return whole or unopened food and drinks they do not want.
• A Toolkit for Incorporating Food Waste in Municipal Climate Action Plans (July 2021)
  • Provides background information and a Menu of potential food waste actions. 

Resource Guides and Compilations 

• Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Resources Compilation (November 2023) *Created with NRDC
  • Compiles existing reports, toolkits, and other documents that provide background information on PAYT to help design and implement effective programs.
• Food Waste Prevention Resource Guide Series (August 2023) *Funded by Urban Green Lab with support from the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh
  • Provides ready-to-use resources for classrooms, households, and workplaces on specific food waste prevention strategies, including:
    • Date Labels;
    • Packaging Design and Use;
    • Meal Prepping and Kits;
    • Plate and Portion Size; and
    • Storage and Freezing. 

Templates

• Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction Reporting (July 2023)
  • Provides a template on municipal department food waste reduction annual reports. 

Research Briefs, Reports, and Articles

• State and City Food Waste Reduction Goals: Context, Best Practices, and Precedents (January 2024)
• An Overview of Hands-on Resources for Hosting Accessible Events (May 2023)
• An Overview of Multilingual Outreach, Translation, and Language Justice Resources (June 2022)
• Social Science Literature Review on Value of Measuring and Reporting on Food Waste (May 2022)

The following materials were developed in ELI’s capacity as the former Project Director for NRDC’s pilot initiative (2015-2021) and Senior Strategic Advisor (with NRDC) to Urban Green Lab’s Nashville Food Waste Initiative. 

• Mayor Cooper's Sustainability Advisory Committee Report on Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan (April 2021)  
• Landscape Analysis of Community Composting in Nashville (February 2020)
• Real Benefits Fostering Food Scrap Recycling, The Environmental Forum (May/June 2019)
• Landscape Analysis of Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Food Scrap Recycling in Nashville (March 2019)
  • Landscape Analysis of ICI Food Scrap Recycling in Nashville: Executive Summary
• Food Waste Restaurant Challenge Guide, NRDC Food Matters (January 2019) *contributing author
• Nashville Food Rescue Landscape Analysis (October 2017)
• Packaging Best Practices for Prepared Food Donation (n.d.) *created with NRDC
• Food Donation Guidelines for Licensed Food Facilities (n.d.) *created with NRDC

Comments

• ELI Comments on Tennessee Volunteer Emission Reduction Strategy (August 2024)
• ELI Comments on EPA's Waste Reduction Model v16 (March 2024)
• Comments on EPA's Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics: Model Governance Tools and Capacity-Building (February 2024)
• Comments on EPA's Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics: Improving Waste-Sector GHG Emissions Accounting (February 2024)

Materials on Food Waste Recycling Solutions

Reports

• Food Waste Co-Digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Business Case Analysis (December 2019)
• New England Organics Disposal Bans and Processing Infrastructure, BioCycle (September 2017, Part I and November 2017, Part II) 

Snapshots

• Oneida County Water Pollution Control Plant NY (February 2021)
• Hermitage Municipal Authority PA (January 2021)
• East Bay Municipal Utility District CA (December 2020)

Case Studies

• Central Marin Sanitation Agency CA (January 2021)
• Derry Township Municipal Authority PA (January 2021)
• Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts CA (January 2021)
• Stevens Point Public Utilities Department WI (January 2021)

Articles

• Innovations in Sourcing Food Scraps for Codigestion (Part I); Solid Waste Partners Drive WRRF Food Scrap Sourcing (Part II), Biocycle (March 2021)
• Food Waste Co-digestion at Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Evaluating the Business Case Can Identify Benefits to the Triple-Bottom-Line, WE&T (March 2020)
• Successful Business Strategies for Codigestion at WRRFs, BioCycle (November/December 2019)
   

Convenings 

Nashville Mayor Cooper's Sustainability Advisory Committee provided advice on a range of sustainability issues, including the city’s Climate Action Plan. ELI Senior Attorney Linda Breggin was the co-chair of the Sustainability Advisory Committee in 2021.

• Mayor Cooper's Sustainability Advisory Committee 2021 Report on the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan (January 2021)
  • Executive Summary
• Overview of Recommended Food Waste Climate Mitigation Actions (March 2021)

Presentations and Webinars

• Creating a Glide Path for Municipal Action: Food Waste Reduction Model Ordinances & Executive Orders (April 2025)
• Empowering Younger Staff in Municipal Offices to Address Food Waste and Climate Issues: Presentation to Interns and Staff at the Baltimore Office of Sustainability (October 2024)
• Removing Municipal Zoning Barriers to Community Composting: Presentation at NRDC Food Matters (August 2024)
• Plant-Based Protein Measures and Model Compost Policies for Municipal Governments and Communities (July 2024)
• Policy That Produces Progress: Model Ordinances and Other Governance Tools to Reduce Food Waste (April 2024)
• A Toolkit for Incorporating Food Waste in Municipal Climate Action Plans (April 2023)
• Food Waste 101: A Roadmap to Achieving 50% Reduction by 2030, DMV Food Recovery Week (October 2022)
• Sustainable in the City: Food Waste 101, Urban Green Lab (September 2021)
• Food Scrap Recycling: Opportunities and Realities of Anaerobic Digestion (April 2021)  
• Food Life Cycle: Effectiveness of Food Scrap Recycling Mandates & Landfill Bans (February 2021)
• FYI Naturalist: Save Food Waste Less in Nashville (February 2021)
• How to Set Up a Pilot Community Composting Project to Receive Community Food Scraps - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 3 (November 2020)
• How to Set Up a Community Compost Demonstration and Education Site - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 2 (October 2020)
• What, Why & How to Compost - An Introduction to the Basics & How to Engage - Community Composting for Nashville: Webinar Workshop Series, Part 1 (September 2020) 

Slide Decks

• Presentation to ICLEI's Sustainable and Circular Public Procurement Cohort on Compost Procurement (June 2024)
• Food Waste Prevention Resource Guide Series (April 2024)
  • Provides an overview of ELI's Food Waste Prevention Resource Guide Series.
• Food Waste 101 (April 2024)
  • Provides a brief introduction to the issue of food waste and an overview of ELI's Food Waste Initiative and its work in Nashville.
• Model Ordinance Establishing a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Program for Residential Municipal Solid Waste (November 2023)
  • Provides background information on PAYT and an overview of ELI and NRDC's model ordinance.
• Model Executive Order on Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction (July 2023)
  • Provides background information on municipal food waste efforts and an overview of ELI and NRDC's model executive order.
• Model Ordinance on Mandatory Reporting for Large Food Waste Generators (July 2022)
  • Provides background information on mandatory reporting and an overview of ELI and NRDC's model ordinance.
• Model Compost Procurement Policy (July 2021)
  • Provides background information on compost procurement policies and an overview of ELI and NRDC's model policy. 

Podcasts

ELI's podcast, People, Places and Planet, has released episodes with insights for local governments looking to advance climate and waste solutions. Check out the following episodes: 

• Food Waste Prevention Week: Highlighting Changemakers in Nashville (April 2025)
• Healthy Schools, Healthy Futures: Transforming School Meals for Student Wellness and Sustainability (March 2025)
• Eat Your T(of)urkey: How to Reduce Food Waste This Thanksgiving (November 2023)
• Regional & National Food Waste Awareness & Reduction Efforts, SSDN’s Green Minds (April 2022)
• Climate Change & Food Waste (February 2022)
• Best If Used: Tackling Food Waste in Music City U.S.A. (April 2019)

Blogs

• Tackling Food Waste: ELI’s New Food Waste Prevention Resource Guide Series (March 2024)
• ELI Encourages EPA to Leverage Model Ordinances and Policies to Reduce Food Waste (February 2024)
• Model PAYT Ordinance Helps Cities Reduce Trash and Increase Recycling (November 2023)
• Model Executive Order Helps Cities Lead by Example to Reduce Food Waste (June 2023)
• Model Reporting Ordinance for Food Waste Generators (July 2022)
• New Model Policy Bolsters Compost Use and Infrastructure (September 2021)
• Seven Areas for Taking Action to Reduce Food Waste (April 2021)
• Co-Digestion of Food Waste: A Triple Greenhouse Gas Solution (April 2021)

Videos

The following videos were developed by the Nashville Food Waste Initiative, a partnership between ELI, Urban Green Lab, and NRDC.

• James Beard Foundation and Nashville Food Waste Initiative Food Scrap Cooking Demonstration (2021)
• NFWI Waste Not Cooking Competition (2019)
• NFWI Food Waste Warrior Audit (2019)