Food Waste Reimbursement Success Stories | New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s (NYSP2I) Food Waste Reimbursement Program is helping the Empire State reduce wasted food. It works by reimbursing New York-based entities for expenses they incur during efforts to keep food out of landfills in order to harness more of its value.

The success stories below showcase five New York State organizations that have launched successful strategies for reducing food waste through the grant program.

people shopping in grocery store produce section

Food Waste Reimbursement Program Surpasses Goal

Nearly 4 million tons of food are wasted in New York State each year, ending up in landfills where it decomposes and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The amount of food thrown out across the state represents 18 percent of the entire waste stream.

In 2018, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) launched a program to tackle this growing problem by offering state-funded reimbursement grants to businesses that reduced or diverted their food waste.