Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Food and Sustainability
  •  

CalRecycle Grants $11 Million To Food Recovery Efforts As Climate Goals Loom

  •  Julia Mitric 
Monday, May 6, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EarthFix / Flickr
 

EarthFix / Flickr

CalRecycle will grant $11 million to 36 food banks and local agencies that connect surplus food to people who need it, and to companies focused on diverting food waste from California’s garbage stream.

Food waste makes up nearly 20 percent of the state’s overall waste stream, according to CalRecycle estimates. The Food Waste Prevention And Rescue Grant Program is funded by the state’s cap-and-trade program.

Much of the funding will go toward refrigeration, storage and transportation, which are three huge costs for food banks and the local agencies they supply.

The $11 million to support food recovery, which CalRecycle announced last Thursday, is a meaningful step, said Andrew Cheyne, director of government affairs for the California Association of Food Banks, which represents dozens of local food agencies throughout the state. But he says that California will need to do much more in order to meet its climate goals.

"The state's climate goals include diverting 20 percent of all edible food from landfill to people in need by 2025. And, to do that, we're going to need to increase this investment by orders of magnitude,” he said.

The California Association of Food Banks will ask CalRecycle to boost the food recovery grants from $11 million to $100 million next year, according to Cheyne.

Food scraps and plant material decompose in the garbage stream, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Many local governments offer residents a way to recycle organic materials, including food scraps. The city of Sacramento offers residential yard waste collection, but that does not include food scraps.

Yolo Food Bank will receive $500,000 to equip its new warehouse facility. Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services will get $153,000 to pay for more refrigerated trucks and staff in order to increase storage of donated food.

Inadequate storage and refrigeration capacity at smaller, local agencies is a huge barrier for California’s food banks, said Blake Young, director of SFBFS.

Close to $500,000 in cap-and-trade funds will go to Misadventure & Co of Vista, which is 45 minutes north of San Diego. The company takes in donated bread products from food banks and turns them into vodka. The bread is considered “food waste” because it’s no longer consumable by food standards, said Sam Chereskin, the company’s co-founder.

Waste Not OC, a public-private coalition in Orange County, uses taxis to pick up edible, surplus food and deliver it to local 7-11 stores, where it is chilled overnight until food recovery organizations can pick it up in the morning. The organization will receive a grant of $492, 221 from the CalRecycle Food Waste Prevention And Rescue Grant Program.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Julia Mitric

Former Food And Sustainability Reporter

For Julia, food and life are inseparable.   Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

A California man’s ‘painful and terrifying’ road to a monkeypox diagnosis

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: How many animal species have been infected with COVID-19? Scientists are still trying to find out.

New variants, wastewater data, long COVID: What Sacramento region experts are watching

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

A California man’s ‘painful and terrifying’ road to a monkeypox diagnosis

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: How many animal species have been infected with COVID-19? Scientists are still trying to find out.

New variants, wastewater data, long COVID: What Sacramento region experts are watching

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.