DEC ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION IN GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE TO BOLSTER FOOD SCRAPS RECYCLING STATEWIDE

 

Funding Builds on Progress to Reduce Waste, Recycle Food Scraps

 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced $2 million in new grant funding is now available to municipalities statewide to help establish or expand food scrap recycling programs and facilities. The first $1 million in grants will prioritize eligible projects that dedicate at least half of the funding to serving Environmental Justice communities to ensure these communities disproportionately overburdened by environmental pollution are able to participate in the initiative’s climate and waste-reduction benefits.

“Food scrap recycling infrastructure is critical to achieve New York’s waste diversion goals and these grants help ensure equitable access to this new funding opportunity,” said Commissioner Seggos. “Composting can help protect our shared environment by diverting food waste to help reduce our dependance on landfills, protect the planet from harmful methane emissions, and recycle organic nutrients back into the soil to grow healthy food. In addition, successful programs like the Food Donation and Food Waste Scraps Recycling Law support the State’s efforts under Governor Kathy Hochul’s leadership to reduce waste and climate-altering emissions while getting hundreds of thousands of pounds of quality food to New Yorkers in need.”

Commissioner Seggos celebrated the announcement at an event at the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in the city of Albany with Mayor Kathy Sheehan, recognizing the city’s food scraps drop-off location and compost education program. The city received a $225,000 Food Waste Reduction grant from DEC in 2019 and is putting it to work in the community.

To qualify for the municipal food scrap recycling grants, municipalities must submit an application to DEC. For additional information visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/97456.html.

This new funding is supported by the State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Among the many environmental victories in the enacted 2022-23 State Budget, Governor Hochul and legislative leaders increased the EPF to $400 million, the highest-ever level of funding in the program's history. This boost includes an increase of $500,000 for organics recycling that is part of a total increase of $3.7 million for municipal recycling over last year’s budget. The EPF supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects water sources, advances conservation efforts, and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers.