Colorado and Utah receives $40K in funding to reduce source pollution

DENVER (KRDO) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $40,000 in funding will be given to Center for EcoTechnology (CET) and Park City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) through the Sustainable Materials Management Program.

In the press release, EPA awarded $19,526 to CET, a nongovernmental organization based in Massachusetts. The award helps cities and states improve on food waste reduction and recovery in Denver. A $20,000 award will be issued to PCMC to build a reusable to-go container system.

“These projects show great promise for reducing unnecessary food waste and waste from single-use to-go containers through innovative and practical ideas,” said EPA Region 8 Acting Regional Administrator Debra H. Thomas. “When we prioritize efforts that prevent waste, we conserve resources and reduce pollution for the benefit of the wider community.”

“CET is poised to leverage its experience and marketplace knowledge to help Denver businesses increase implementation of wasted food solutions,” said John Majercak, president of CET. “Support from the EPA enables us to catalyze Colorado’s growing capacity and infrastructure for preventing food waste and recovering it for our food insecure.”

“Park City has an ambitious goal of becoming a zero-waste community by 2030. A key element in reaching that goal is source reduction, and the implementation of a robust reusable to-go food container program is a tangible action for locals and visitors alike,” said PCMC Environmental Sustainability Project Manager Celia Peterson. “Not only will this reduce food waste and our environmental impact, but in leading by example, Park City will be able to show visitors from across the world that zero waste is an achievable goal.”

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment will provide solutions and identify barriers to raise food donations in Denver. CET will be interviewing stakeholders, hold focus groups, evaluation forms, and give feedback on the continuous future food rescue.

PCMC's program will be a one month test of the reusable to-go container service to establish a community-wide functional system. The project will reduce environmental impacts on land, water use, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.