Maine offering grants for food waste study

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is soliciting grant proposals for a comprehensive statewide surplus food and food scrap study to characterize the sources, quantity, quality and types of surplus food, food scraps and food processing-related waste generated annually in the commercial, residential and institutional sectors in Maine. 

This study must be conducted in a manner that will allow the department to determine the potential emissions impact of rescuing or diverting surplus food and food scraps to higher and better uses. This study also will be used as the basis for an additional study to determine the infrastructure improvements necessary to move food up the food recovery hierarchy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study should provide a stronger understanding of food loss and waste by quantifying and categorizing surplus food as edible or inedible and identifying significant points of generation by location.

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Winning bidders will be required to submit a report or reports that provide a comprehensive account of surplus food and food scrap generators by sector and the source, including:

• Surplus food and food scraps are characterized as avoidable or unavoidable;
• Surplus food and food scrap generation are characterized as recurring in predictable or similar amounts or as unpredictable and in varying amounts;
• The condition of surplus food is characterized as fresh and edible for immediate consumption, suitable for use in upcycled foods, suitable for animal feed, or inedible and best sent for diversion via composting or anaerobic digestion; and
• A series of maps that depict regional concentrations of surplus food and food scrap generation.

For more details, see the request for proposals.

Proposals must be submitted to the Maine Division of Procurement Services by emailing proposals@maine.gov. Proposal submissions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, on Sept. 15. Proposals will be opened the following business day.