Top: Images courtesy cities of Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Diego, California.

The U.S. EPA has created a searchable list of local government climate action plans (CAPs) that include materials management and waste actions, including organics recycling and wasted food. While not a comprehensive list of all CAPs in the U.S. that may include organics recycling, the plans provide other local governments with an idea of what they can replicate in their communities. This is especially important for metropolitan areas that received Climate Pollution Reduction Grants from U.S. EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation ($1 million to prepare a CAP that can be inclusive of organics). In 2024, EPA will open a competitive grant application process to fund implementation of state and local CAPs.

Searchable categories under Organics and Wasted Food include anaerobic digestion, composting, food waste reduction, and low carbon organics diversion. Twenty states are included in the database. For additions, changes, or updates, new plans can be emailed to EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Division at SMMFood@epa.gov.