Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution lists various goals and action items to support food waste reduction efforts, some of which will have budgetary impacts. Future appropriations may be necessary to meet the directives of the resolution.
Title
Adopting a Resolution to address food waste that has the support of the Sustainable Madison Committee and the Madison Food Policy Council.
Body
WHEREAS the City of Madison has several goals related to increasing food waste diversion, increasing renewable energy, and advancing sustainable food systems as described below; and,
WHEREAS food waste comprises over 20% of the waste stream collected by the City of Madison, which means 10,000 tons of food scraps are sent to the Dane County landfill; and,
WHEREAS, as of 2021, the Dane County Landfill has approximately 10 years of usable life remaining at its current site; and,
WHEREAS the Common Council initially set the City of Madison on a zero-waste trajectory by passing a resolution in 2008 to set a goal of 65% waste diversion by recycling and composting by 2010 with progress towards the ultimate goal of zero waste; and,
WHEREAS, source reduction has the greatest climate benefits as well as saving water, fuel, and money; and,
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land highlights the interconnectedness of a changing climate, sustainable land-use management, enhanced food security, enhancing local collective action, and policies that reduce food loss and waste and operate across the food system; and,
WHEREAS the adopted 2012 Madison Sustainability Plan emphasizes the nexus of food waste and energy through goals to prevent solid waste from entering the landfill to obtain 25% of Electricity, Heating, and Transportation Energy from Clean Energy Sources by 2025; and,
WHEREAS, in 2017 the Madison Common Council passed a resolution to update the Energy and Carbon Goals in the Madison Sustainability Plan to aim for 100% renewable energy and net-zero carbon emissions or better by 2050 or sooner; and,
WHEREAS the recommendations in the Madison Sustainability Plan and the 100% Renewable Madison Report are already underway; for example, in March of 2021 the Madison Common Council accepted the Final Anaerobic Digester Feasibility Study which assessed the feasibility of utilizing an anaerobic digester for food waste; and,
WHEREAS according to Public Health Madison Dane County the rate of food insecurity at the county level can exceed one in three households for vulnerable groups and food waste diversion efforts can help strengthen sustainable food systems; and,
WHEREAS, the Madison Comprehensive Plan has strategies to encourage emergency food system and facilitate donation of near-expired, but high-quality, foods in the Neighborhoods and Housing chapter; and,
WHEREAS, the Madison Comprehensive Plan has a listed action to reduce landfilled waste by establishing a city-wide food scrap recycling program in the Green and Resilient chapter; and,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Madison that the City will:
● Set a food waste diversion goal of 50% from the landfill by 2030 and establish metrics for measuring and tracking said goal
● Educate the public on food waste reduction benefits and landfill diversion alternatives
● The Sustainable Madison Committee will review and advise of efforts and updating of goals related toward food waste reduction efforts
● Support this cross-sector goal which requires budgetary and city staff support to meet the timelines set in these inter-related goals
● Commit appropriate city committees and staff to collaborate with local organizations and governments to identify and implement actions that reduce food insecurity
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Madison that the City will work to provide leadership, funding, and programmatic resources to support food waste diversion efforts to meet renewable energy goals and advance sustainable food systems.
- Approved by the Sustainable Madison Committee - 7/26/2021
- Approved by the Madison Food Policy Council - 7/21/2021
https://daneclimateaction.org/documents/CAP-2020/Dane-Co-Climate-Action-Plan-202004-web.pdf
https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy_.html
https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2020/02/SPM_Updated-Jan20.pdf
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ar4-wg1-chapter2-1.pdf