Municipal Model Policies on Food Waste Reduction

This suite of model municipal policies, developed in collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute, is designed to include provide easily adaptable tools that can be used by municipalities and advocates interested in implementing food waste reduction policy.

The “off-the-shelf” versions of the models (without commentaries) are intended to provide clean, streamlined legal language that can be easily enacted by a municipality. The “with commentaries” versions of the models include commentaries that offer additional context and background, explain the benefits of key provisions and alternative approaches, and provide links to examples. The commentaries can guide a municipality in tailoring the models to its specific circumstances. 

The model policies, typically accompanied by a background memorandum, a slide presentation, and a model resolution, are intended to help mitigate the substantial transaction costs associated with researching, drafting, and enacting new food waste reduction policy measures, which often prevent resource-strapped municipalities from taking steps to advance food waste reduction.