Dive Brief:
- Iowa City, IA plans to begin curbside collections services for food waste in 2015.
- The decision to offer this service to residents came after a food waste pilot program was deemed a big success. Fifty households in Iowa City diverted 1,000 pounds of organics from the landfill within a six-week trial period.
- Residents across various demographics were issued waste diversion strategies prepared by the EPA. A toolkit, Food: Too Good to Waste, was used to assess if families would actually reduce the volume of food waste after implementing strategies outlined in the kit.
Dive Insight:
The EPA estimates that between 40-50% of food waste originates with consumers.
Iowa City has been composting food since 2007. The compost is sold by the ton to the community. It appears that some towns in the state are making moves to become more environmentally aware. For instance, another city, Marion, is hoping to establish a partnership with WTE firm Fiberight in an effort to power its municipal vehicles with trash.
