Sponsors (5)
The bill directs large, sustained federal investment and targeted grants to cut food waste and support recycling—particularly in disadvantaged communities—while improving accountability, at the cost of higher federal spending, potential new fees and administrative burdens, and reduced access or increased competition for some nonprofits.
Local and state governments can receive sustained federal grants ($650M/year through 2035) to build and scale food-waste prevention, recycling, and market-development projects, creating new infrastructure and program capacity.
Low-income, Tribal, and communities of color are prioritized for project funding, directing resources toward areas disproportionately harmed by waste and pollution.
Taxpayers and the public will get more transparency and accountability through annual EPA reporting and data collection to track progress toward a 50% food-waste reduction goal.
Nonprofit organizations (especially smaller, community-based rescue and upcycling groups) face restricted access to certain study/data grants and may be disadvantaged by prioritization rules and award criteria, reducing their ability to compete for federal planning and program funds.
All taxpayers may shoulder higher federal spending (authorization of $650M/year through 2035), raising concerns about opportunity cost or deficits if the funding is not offset.
Smaller organizations and local governments will face new administrative and compliance burdens (application formats, reporting, letters of support), which could limit participation or increase costs to apply for and manage grants.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced December 12, 2025 by Julia Brownley · Last progress December 12, 2025
Creates an EPA-run competitive grant program to cut U.S. food waste 50% by 2035 (compared to 2015) and authorizes $650 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2035. Grants fund studies, data collection/reporting, and on-the-ground food-waste-reduction projects with program requirements, reporting, prioritization for impacted communities, and definitions for key terms like "food waste" and "source-separated organics."