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Food and scale

The FEED MKE Pilot Project

With funding through a USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreement, ECO has launched the FEED MKE Pilot Project to coordinate and expand several initiatives among public, private, and governmental entities to address the interconnected issues of food insecurity, waste reduction, landfill diversion, and climate change. The 2-year project will include the following activities: 1) Conduct outreach on how food waste impacts climate change, 2) Provide funding through mini-grants to support capacity-building for community-based organizations and community composting sites, 3) Foster relationship-building between gleaners and food pantries, food kitchens, emergency food banks, restaurants, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and neighborhood associations, and 4) Issue a Food Saver Challenge through the Mayor’s Office to incentivize private sector food waste reduction practices. 

The project comes from the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption chapter, which focuses on feeding hungry people by redistributing edible, gleaned leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away. The key outcomes of this strategy are that residents are fed, inedible food waste is composted, less methane-causing food waste ends up in landfills, and employment opportunities are created for BIPOC residents living in food-insecure communities. 

Woman holding produce

OPEN: Mini-Grants for Capacity-Building & Composting

Applications are now open! October workshops are taking place at various locations. Apply by November 22. Awards will be announced in December.

  • Food Recovery: Grants of $5,000-$30,000 for 4-8 organizations to support food recovery capacity-building through partnerships with local food-based businesses, food banks, and community-based organizations.
  • Composting: Grants of $5,000-$20,000 for 3-5 organizations for on-site composting supplies or to institute subscription-based composting services at community locations. 

Download a Flyer

Sign-Up for a Workshop

 

The Cost of Food Waste

Fast Facts

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a goal of reducing food waste 50% by 2030 (USDA, 2015).

  • In Milwaukee, food waste and yard debris (organic matter) make up to 24% of waste. The Southeastern Wisconsin region in total produces 15.4% of waste from food, higher than the state as a whole (WDNR, 2021).

  • Globally, about 1/3 of the total food produced for human consumption is wasted (United Nations, 2022).

  • In Wisconsin, 1.2 billion pounds of food goes to waste annually while 1 in 7 households experience food insecurity. In Milwaukee, 15% of material going to landfills is edible food (WDNR, 2021).

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  Environmental Impact

Landfill•  Increased Methane Production: Once sent to a landfill, organic waste such as food scraps decompose to release methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas over 25x more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Methane is an especially powerful contributor to climate change. 

•  Loss of Natural Resources: Overproduction of food, packaging, and disposable goods results in a loss of money and natural resources—especially the energy and water resources used to produce these products.

•  Increased Pollution: Single-use plastic bags and food packaging often become litter in the City’s streets, causing nuisance and harming wildlife. Further, plastic pieces never break down and eventually end up in our water, our food, and in our bodies.

  Equity Impact

school children eating lunch•  BIPOC Populations More Greatly Impacted: In the City of Milwaukee, food insecurity stood at 13% for the city as a whole in 2022, but roughly 1 in 4 Black (28%) and Hispanic (23%) residents experienced food insecurity while less than 1 in 4 White residents (7%) did. Further, 1 in 4, children in Milwaukee County experienced food insecurity in 2020.

•  Food Insecurity Varies by Location: In 2022, 147,430 individuals in Milwaukee County were food insecure—15.4% of the population. Milwaukee County has the second highest rate of food insecurity in Wisconsin, just behind Menominee County at 17.2%. For reference, the state-wide rate is 10% and the national rate is 12.5%.

*Data from Feeding America.

Resources to Reduce Waste

Compost

Composting

Recycle food scraps that cannot be consumed with composting. Convert organic materials into a nutrient-rich soil ammendment through natural decomposition. Several companies provide subscription-based services.

Composting Resources

Food Donation Icon

Food Pantries & Meal Sites

There are many organizations that provide groceries and meals to those in need. Whether you’re looking to donate food, offer support, volunteer, or gain access to available resources, these community locations can help.

Find Food & Resources

Cooking leftover food

Saving Food at Home

Plan meals ahead of time, use smart storage techniques, get creative with your leftovers, freeze or ferment your surplus, revive old produce, and understand date labels to reduce waste in the home.

Reduce Food Waste at Home

Law Book

Food Donation Law

Those who donate or distribute donated food or grocery products are well-protected by laws designed to provide immunity from liability related to food donations.

Legal Considerations

Food Safety

When rescuing excess food for residents in need, be sure to follow the proper food safety standards so that the food is safe for consumption. 

Food Safety Standards

Plastic pollution

Single-Use Plastics

In addition to organic food waste, reduce the amount of single-use plastics from takeout containers, which are hard to recycle and contribute to pollution and landfills.

Plastic-Free Resources

The FEED MKE Coalition

The Food Excess, Equitable Distribution Coalition (FEED MKE) grew out of the 2019 City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity appointed by the Milwaukee Common Council to address issues of climate change and racial equity. The Task Force and Work Groups convened regularly, engaged in research, and helped deliver recommendations for what was to become the Climate and Equity Plan in 2023. The 80+ volunteer contributors were a microcosm of Milwaukee-representing residents, community groups, academia, business leaders, faith-based institutions, and environmental justice advocates.

Volunteers were organized into specialized Work Groups and donated their time and talents in developing comprehensive strategies to address different components of the city-wide plan. One of the Work Groups that emerged with viable solutions was the Waste and Sustainable Consumption Work Group, which brainstormed strategies to help feed people in their communities and prevent food and other methane-causing waste from entering landfills. The Work Group played a prominent role in helping to create the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan and the FEED MKE Coalition.

The FEED MKE Coalition is a conceptual public-private partnership whose primary mission is to reduce food waste sent to landfills and feed hungry residents. The coalition focuses on three program areas: Education/Outreach, Operations, and Policy/Advocacy. The FEED MKE Coalition is now a partner of the City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) and will help with the implementation of the initiatives and activities listed in the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan.

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