The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has earmarked $40,000 in funding to the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) and Park City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) through the Sustainable Materials Management program.
The government agency announced an award of $19,526 for CET, a nongovernmental organization based in Massachusetts that helps cities and states across the country connect with wasted food solutions, and $20,000 for PCMC to build on its reusable to-go container system pilot operation in Park City, Utah.
“These projects show great promise for reducing unnecessary food waste and waste from single-use to-go containers through innovative and practical ideas,” EPA Region 8 acting regional administrator Debra Thomas said in a news release. “When we prioritize efforts that prevent waste, we conserve resources and reduce pollution for the benefit of the wider community.”
CET President John Majercak said his company looks forward to using the funds in a way that serves the masses.
“CET is poised to leverage its experience and marketplace knowledge to help Denver businesses increase implementation of wasted food solutions,” he added. “Support from the EPA enables us to catalyze Colorado’s growing capacity and infrastructure for preventing food waste and recovering it for our food insecure.”
PCMC environmental sustainability project manager Celia Peterson added that the investment moves the company one step closer to its long-term goals.
“Park City has an ambitious goal of becoming a zero-waste community by 2030,” she added. “A key element in reaching that goal is source reduction, and the implementation of a robust reusable to-go food container program is a tangible action for locals and visitors alike. Not only will this reduce food waste and our environmental impact, but in leading by example, Park City will be able to show visitors from across the world that zero waste is an achievable goal.”
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systematic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. The SMM approach seeks to make use of materials in the most productive and efficient way possible, reduce toxic chemicals and environmental impacts and to assure that we have the resources to meet current and future demands.
