City of Denver Department of Public Health & Environment

Denver Public Works

Denver Food Matters is a pilot project (2018-2020) in the City and County of Denver to sustain ongoing city-level support for food waste and rescue. The project is part of a larger effort to achieve a 57 percent reduction in tons of residential food waste. The project intends to do so by supporting consumer education on food waste, encouraging businesses to reduce food waste and food donations, and expanding residential and commercial composting opportunities. The first deliverable of the project in 2018 includes consumer, business and health inspector education of food waste. The second deliverable in 2019 is food donation policy change and stakeholder engagement. Lastly, in 2020, the expected deliverable is a sustainability plan for residential and commercial composting. Expected outcomes are three-fold: 1) increased household food scrap recycling in homes by diverting waste; 2) increased neighborhood participation in the Sustainable Neighborhood Program and pilot neighborhood level food waste diversion; and 3) increased number of food service businesses in the Certifiably Green Business Program and increased prevented food waste.