Food Waste Committee

Food waste is a constant challenge for this planet’s population. In 2020, the Food Waste Committee was initiated, and we have three goals: 1) compile food waste information and policies, 2) find activities for people to reduce food waste, and 3) encourage food waste reduction locally. We are looking for additional committee members who are energetic and have ideas and solutions to address this common topic in their local communities.

Want to learn about food recovery and connect with others in your area?

Check out the AK Food Recovery Dashboard.

 We want to hear from you!

Does your organization or business help recover food that would otherwise be wasted? Please take our AK Food Recovery Survey!

want to get involved? Attend a meeting!

The Food Waste Committee meets virtually every fourth Wednesday of the month from 6-7pm. Please email Claire Lubke or Hannah Hill,
AFPC-FWC Co-Chairs, for the Zoom link or if you have questions.

Food Waste Resources:

Resources for Residences

• Home Composting

• Tips to Reduce Food Waste (US Food & Drug Administration)

• Stop Food Waste

• Alaska Organic Gardening Resources (Good Earth Garden School)

Resources for Businesses and Institutions

• Restaurant Food Waste Action Guide (ReFED)

Resources from Across Alaska:

• Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services

  • Feasibility Report: Organics Collection and Processing within The Municipality of Anchorage.

  • Community Compost

  • Solid Waste Services Master Plan (see diversion recommendations, including food waste campaigns/collection programs)

  • Anchorage Climate Action plan (See consumption and solid waste chapter, recommendations related to organics collection/food waste reduction)

• Juneau Composts

• Cook Inletkeeper Community Compost Project

  • Kenai Change Community Composting

• Plant A Row for the Hungry (an international effort to get people to plant an extra row in their gardens to produce extra food for food banks, started by Jeff Lowenfels of Anchorage)

• State of Alaska Food Waste page

• UAF Cooperative Extension Service (free publications about composting, food preservation, etc., Click Publications link)

• DEC, Division of Environmental Health, School Food Service page.

• DEED food safety page which includes info on food waste

Resources from Across the Nation:

• Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics

• Learn about Food Sustainability

• Community Composter Coalition 

• World Wildlife Fund: K-12 lessons, activities, and resources to teach the planetary impact of what we eat and what we throw away.

• Food Waste in America in 2021(RTS Report)

• Tackling Food Waste in Cities: A Policy and Program Toolkit (NRDC)

• Food Policy Networks(type “food waste” into search bar)

• Food Waste Alliance

• USDA Food Loss and Waste

• SeaShare

• Society of St. Andrew food waste/gleaning resources

• Feeding America food waste resources

• Stop Food Waste

• Food Tank article (2016) on 59 organizations fighting food waste

• King County (Seattle) Food Waste Reduction Toolkit

• Pacific Coast Collaborative

• Oregon Wasted Food Study

• Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future Reducing Food Waste

• NYT Climate Forward Newsletter spotlights food waste policies around the world 

• Love Food, Hate Waste

• US Composting Council

• Read “Waste” By Kate O’Neill, specifically the chapter on Food Waste. It provides some international/domestic context to the food waste problem

• Save The Food

• National Resource Defense Council- Dating Game Report- food waste as a result of dates/codes on food

• EPA resources

  • EPA grants website to monitor for sustainable materials management/ food waste-related grants; subscribe here for the EPA grants listserve

  • Washington School Food Share Toolkit

  • Oregon School Food Share Program Guide. It includes an extensive appendix that provides template communication materials that you might find useful.

  • EPA Food Recovery Challenge. This is an opportunity for schools, universities, restaurants, and other businesses and organizations to earn EPA recognition for efforts related to reducing food waste.