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Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant
The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.
Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall
These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.
A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool
Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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2023 Wins in Food Waste & What’s Next in 2024

Expert BlogInternational, United StatesYvette Cabrera, Madeline Keating, Darby Hoover, Nina Sevilla, Andrea Collins, Anya Obrez

NRDC’s food waste team reflects on all we’ve accomplished this year and what we’re most excited for in 2024

Food Matters: Year-in-Review

Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Madeline Keating, Darby Hoover, Nina Sevilla, Anya Obrez, Andrea Collins, Yvette Cabrera

Through NRDC's Food Matters initiative, U.S. cities work to prevent food from becoming waste, rescue surplus food, and recycle food scraps. 

Compost Is a Climate Solution

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover, Dr. Daniel Rath
Reducing food waste is no. 1 on the list of most impactful interventions to mitigate climate change.

Model PAYT Ordinance

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover
NRDC and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) recently released a Model Ordinance Establishing a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Program for Residential Municipal Solid Waste that can help municipalities reduce the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) sent to landfills and incinerators and…

Model Executive Order Helps Cities Lead by Example on Food Waste

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover
A new Model Executive Order on Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction developed by NRDC and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) can help municipalities "lead by example" to reduce the amount of food wasted throughout municipal operations, highlight the importance…

Evaluating Anaerobic Digestion for Municipal Organics Recycling

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover
Anaerobic digestion (AD) can be an effective component of a municipal recycling system, ensuring that organic materials like food scraps are processed for use as soil amendments while also extracting energy as a secondary benefit. However, AD also has numerous…

2022 Wins in Food Waste & What’s Next in 2023

Expert BlogUnited StatesYvette Cabrera, Nina Sevilla, Andrea Collins, Darby Hoover, Madeline Keating
NRDC’s food waste team reflects on all we’ve accomplished this year and what we’re most excited for in 2023.

Celebrating Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Food Matters Cohorts

Expert BlogBaltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.Madeline Keating, Darby Hoover
This month, we mark the successful completion of our two-year partnerships with the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast cohorts. Our work with Great Lakes cities will continue in 2023.

Compost, Rodents, and Bears—Oh My!

Expert BlogNorth CarolinaDarby Hoover

As officials in Asheville, NC worked to develop the city's food scraps drop-off pilot program, they needed to take bear-proofing into close consideration.

Recycling Infrastructure Grants Must Include Food Scraps

Expert BlogUnited StatesNina Sevilla, Darby Hoover
With funding provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the EPA is developing a pair of grant programs that have the potential to significantly improve progress towards our nation's goal to reduce food waste by 50 percent…

Model Reporting Ordinance for Food Waste Generators

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover

This model makes it easier for municipalities to collect data on food waste and surplus food generation, increase awareness of the problem of food waste, and reduce disposal of food waste in landfills and incinerators.

Why Compost Should Count as Fertilizer

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover

There are a number of benefits associated with composting, including environmental, economic, and social benefits.

2021 Year-In-Review: Food Waste

Expert BlogUnited StatesMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover, Yvette Cabrera, Nina Sevilla, Andrea Collins

We are in the critical decade for food waste action. As we progress toward our national goal to reduce food waste generation by 50% by 2030, despite navigating life through a pandemic, good work to reduce food waste continues. This…

New Model Policy Bolsters Compost Use and Infrastructure

Expert BlogUnited StatesDarby Hoover

A new model compost procurement policy developed by the Environmental Law Institute and NRDC could help municipalities around the country in their efforts to divert food scraps and other organic materials from their landfills and incinerators and, in so doing…

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.