Background on Zero Food Waste, helpful resources for reducing and diverting food waste, and recent news.
Park City Community Foundation plays a vital role in solving our area’s biggest challenges. As a tight-knit community that is deeply rooted in our natural surroundings, climate is a critical issue to our area’s health and wellbeing.
The goal to divert and eliminate all food waste from the Summit County landfill by 2030 was announced in 2023. The decision to pursue this ambitious goal was molded over multiple years as Park City Community Foundation’s Climate Fund researched where our organization could be most effective, had the agency to drive change, and create a replicable model for other communities.
Food waste reduction and diversion was identified as a high impact and achievable way to slow climate change, and the Zero Food Waste 2030 goal was born. The Zero Food Waste 2030 Strategic Plan was released in January of 2024 and the first phase of the initiative was launched in June 2024, with residential curbside compost, the Zero Food Waste Compact, and Impact Dashboard. A few months later, a grant was made to expand Waste Less Solutions, a nonprofit organization focused on food rescue, to expand into Summit County.
A phased approach is in place. The first phase of this work is focused on getting homes in the greater Park City area (zip codes 84060 and 84098) signed up for food waste collection, creating collective intent through the Zero Food Waste Compact, and starting to track our progress through the Impact Dashboard.
We plan to expand service across all of Summit County and to businesses moving forward. All the while – between now and 2030 (and beyond) – we will be partnering with nonprofits and pushing for change on the city- and county-level. Summit County and Park City have already signed the Zero Food Waste Compact, and we will be advocating for ordinances and alternative waste processing strategies to extend the life of our overflowing landfill.
Eventually, we hope that Zero Food Waste efforts are adopted by our local governments and are so widespread that even visitors to our area will also be participating.
While it is not typical for a Community Foundation to lead such an effort, our organization was well-positioned to convene, fund, and ultimately launch a grassroots movement. We are bringing together local nonprofits, businesses, government, and donors to drive progress forward, step-by-step, with the ultimate aim to create systematic change that ensures a healthy community and sustainable future for our area.
The movement has already begun. Be all in with us!
Have a resource or news article to share? Send it to us at andy@parkcitycf.org.
Multi-year, cross sector program starts with residential curbside pickup in greater Park City. Working together with local government, nonprofits, businesses, and donors, the Community Foundation’s Climate Fund has created and financed the Zero Food Waste initiative.
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