DEQ received $197 million from the Environmental Protection Agency for the Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action, or CERTA, grant in October 2024 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, housing, transportation, and waste, while providing economic and health-related benefits to surrounding communities.
Background
According to the EPA, food waste is the single largest source of methane generation in landfills, accounting for 58% methane generation. Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas – 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Because of its impact when disposed in landfills, the Oregon legislature in 2015 established the goal of recovering 25% of food waste by 2020 for useful purposes such as composting or anaerobic digestion. However, DEQ estimated that only 10% of food waste was recovered in 2020. In a 2022 report to the legislature, DEQ suggested inadequate processing capacity statewide may be a significant challenge to increasing food waste recovery rates. Increasing food waste processing capacity will significantly improve Oregon's ability to recover a larger percentage of wasted food. DEQ's Food Waste Processing grants include two funding opportunities launching in 2026:
Large-scale food waste processing
$25 million in funds are available to purchase equipment to increase food waste processing capacity. This funding opportunity is available to businesses and local and Tribal governments.
Who is eligible to apply:
Permitted composting and anerobic digestion facilities currently accepting food waste and interested in expanding operations to accept additional food waste
Permitted composting/anerobic digestion facilities that currently do not accept food waste and are interested in expanding/ modifying the facility to include food waste
Proprietors that are looking to site a new composting or anaerobic digestion facility that accepts food waste
Examples of eligible projects:
Installing an anerobic digestor or aerated static pile equipment and/or systems
Installing equipment to increase food waste processing capacity (e.g. screens grinder, de-bagger, wind sifter)
Assessing technical feasibility for composting/biogas/anerobic digestion capacity
Small-scale composting
$1.7 million in grants are available for projects to increase or improve small-scale composting initiatives that support local food production. These will be composting projects that address a gap in organic waste collection, in accordance with state and local solid waste laws, to implement a community-based composting solution. This funding opportunity is available for community-based organizations, local and Tribal governments and businesses.
Eligible activities
Increase or improve small-scale composting systems that support local food production
Address a gap in food waste collection services by partnering with franchise-area waste haulers to implement localized composting solutions
Increase workforce development in compost systems, especially those engaging underserved communities and including potential end-users of compost
Support the development and expansion of end uses and end markets for compost, particularly those that feed back into local food production (e.g., urban farms, community gardens, regenerative agriculture projects)
Education and outreach that supports the activities above
Example projects
Projects that link compost application directly to local food production efforts
Establishment of localized compost drop-off sites for residents or small business
Food waste collection pilot programs for multifamily housing or underserved neighborhoods
Pilot programs for on-site composting systems in schools, institutions, local farms, community gardens or schools