Two Organizations in California Receive EPA Grants to
Combat Food Waste, Climate Change
Grants
to Monterey One Water, Yurok Tribe for Anaerobic Digestion Projects
Contact Information: John Senn, 415-972-3999, senn.john@epa.gov
SAN FRANCISCO (January
24, 2023) – The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced two grants to
organizations in California – Monterey One Water and the Yurok Tribe – to
divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digester capacity.
Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down organic
materials, such as food scraps, manure, and sewage sludge, in the absence of
oxygen. The process produces biogas, which can be captured and used for energy
production, and digestate, a nutrient-rich product used for fertilizer.
“These innovative zero waste
projects will turn food waste into renewable energy, reduce pollution and
support California and Tribal communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha
Guzman. “Anaerobic digestion projects not only cut food waste
that could end up in landfills, but combat climate change by capturing methane
for use, instead of having it go into the atmosphere.”
The selected grant recipients
in California and anticipated award amounts are:
Monterey One Water
(Monterey County, $169,000) plans
a study to evaluate the conversion of anaerobic digesters at its wastewater
treatment facility to equip them to co-digest sewage sludge with food and other
organic wastes.
“Completion of this study and
implementation of co-digestion will be key in helping Monterey One Water and
our project partner, ReGen Monterey, adapt to the changing climate and enhance
the services we provide the community,” said
Paul A. Sciuto, Monterey One Water General Manager. “Thanks to
this funding from EPA, we hope to be a model for cross-sector collaboration as
we work together to meet State requirements to divert organics from landfills
and increase our renewable energy production to help secure the power needs our
essential, 24/7 operations require.”
Yurok Tribe (Klamath,
$200,000) plans to
divert food waste from a landfill by establishing a pilot anaerobic digestion
facility and supporting food sovereignty by using digestate and biogas for food
production at the Klamath Food Village.
“This grant allows the Yurok
Tribe to establish an anaerobic digestion facility to divert the food waste
generated on and near the Yurok Indian Reservation. Digestate will be utilized
to support food sovereignty efforts and be added to food production spaces,” said Louisa McCovey, Environmental
Director of the Yurok Tribe Environmental Department. “The
grant progresses the Tribe’s mission of a sovereign food system and helps to
ensure that every Yurok Tribal member has access to sufficient food to meet
their nutritional and cultural needs in order to thrive, with food that is
provided and procured in culturally and environmentally responsible ways.”
By decreasing the amount of
wasted food in landfills, anaerobic digestion reduces landfill methane
emissions, in turn reducing impacts of climate change. Methane traps 28 to 36
times more heat in the atmosphere over a 100-year period than carbon dioxide.
Additionally, anaerobic digestion is a strategy included in EPA’s food
recovery hierarchy that is preferable to landfilling and incineration
because it reclaims valuable resources, contributing to a circular
economy. Keeping food waste out of landfills by transforming it into fuel
or fertilizer can save money and reduce environmental impacts.
EPA is prioritizing environmental justice by
ensuring nearly half of the funds announced today will be awarded to projects
or recipients located in underserved communities. Specifically, EPA considered
the effects of this program on people of color, low-income, tribal, and
indigenous populations, and other vulnerable populations, such as the elderly
and children. Last year, EPA selected 11 organizations nationwide to receive a
total of approximately $2 million in funding to divert food waste from
landfills by expanding anaerobic digester capacity nationwide.
