I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4444 
To provide grants to reduce the amount of food waste, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2021 
Ms. BROWNLEY (for herself, Ms. PINGREE, and Ms. KUSTER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide grants to reduce the amount of food waste, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Zero Food Waste Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FOOD WASTE REDUCTION GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 
establish and carry out a program to award competi-
tive grants as provided in paragraph (3). 
(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program es-
tablished under paragraph (1) is to help reduce the 
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amount of food waste by 50 percent by 2030, rel-
ative to such amount in 2010. 
(3) GRANTS.— 
(A) STUDY ON FOOD WASTE GENERATION 
AND FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANNING.— 
Under the program established under para-
graph (1), the Administrator may award a 
grant to an eligible entity, excluding any eligible 
entity that is a nonprofit organization, to— 
(i) study— 
(I) the generation of food waste 
in the State or area in which the eligi-
ble entity is located or otherwise 
serves; and 
(II) policies and programs that 
significantly reduce the amount of 
food waste, including policies and pro-
grams to carry out food waste reduc-
tion activities; and 
(ii) develop a plan under which such 
eligible entity will carry out at least one 
food waste reduction activity, prioritizing 
prevention to the extent practicable. 
(B) FOOD WASTE DATA AND REPORTS.— 
Under the program established under para-
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graph (1), the Administrator may award a 
grant to an eligible entity, excluding any eligible 
entity that is a nonprofit organization, to— 
(i) collect data on the amount of food 
waste generated in the State or area in 
which the eligible entity is located or other-
wise serves; and 
(ii) publish, on any publicly available 
website (which may include the website of 
a nongovernmental organization), a month-
ly or quarterly report on the data collected 
under clause (i). 
(C) 
FOOD
WASTE
REDUCTION 
PROJECTS.—Under the program established 
under paragraph (1), the Administrator may 
award a grant to an eligible entity to— 
(i)(I) carry out or otherwise support a 
food waste reduction activity; 
(II) implement a differential pricing 
policy on the disposal of food waste to— 
(aa) disincentivize disposing of 
food waste by incineration or deposit 
in a landfill; and 
(bb) incentivize carrying out food 
waste reduction activities; 
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(III) pay for or provide technical as-
sistance to carry out a food waste reduc-
tion activity; 
(IV) implement restrictions on dis-
posing of food waste by incineration or de-
posit in a landfill; 
(V) implement food waste reduction 
activity requirements; 
(VI) implement demand-stimulating 
policies for recycling end-markets; or 
(VII) carry out any other activity the 
Administrator determines will reduce the 
amount of food waste in the applicable 
area; and 
(ii) collect data and publish reports as 
described in subparagraph (B). 
(b) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To apply for a grant under 
this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
Administrator an application at such time and in 
such form as the Administrator may require, which 
such application shall demonstrate how the eligible 
entity will use the grant in accordance with sub-
section (a)(3). 
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(2) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case 
of an application from an eligible entity that is a 
nonprofit organization, the application shall in-
clude— 
(A) a letter of support for the proposed 
use of the grant from— 
(i) the relevant local government, ter-
ritorial government, Tribal government, or 
State; or 
(ii) another nonprofit organization 
that— 
(I) has a demonstrated history of 
undertaking work in the geographic 
region where the proposed use of the 
grant is to take place, as determined 
by the Administrator; and 
(II) would not be involved in the 
proposed use of the grant; and 
(B) any other information the Adminis-
trator may require. 
(3) 
PRIORITIZATION.—In 
awarding 
grants 
under this section, the Administrator shall— 
(A) seek to award grants for use in diverse 
locations and for diverse uses; and 
(B) prioritize awarding grants to— 
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(i) any eligible entity, excluding any 
eligible entity that is a nonprofit organiza-
tion, that— 
(I) implements a program to 
carry out food waste reduction activi-
ties; or 
(II) has a demonstrated need, as 
determined by the Administrator, for 
additional investment in infrastruc-
ture or other resources to be able to 
implement a program to carry out 
food waste reduction activities; or 
(ii) an eligible entity that will use 
such grant as provided in subsection 
(a)(3)(C)(i) in a community of color, low- 
income community, or Tribal community 
that has been disproportionately affected 
by adverse human health or environmental 
effects. 
(4) ANAEROBIC
DIGESTION
PROJECTS.—With 
respect to any grant awarded under subsection 
(a)(3)(C) to carry out an anaerobic digestion 
project, the Administrator shall— 
(A) require that the applicant submit a 
plan for end-product recycling that, in accord-
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ance with guidelines the Administrator shall es-
tablish— 
(i) provides for the use of the material 
resulting from the project as a soil amend-
ment; and 
(ii) ensures that the use of the mate-
rial resulting from the project does not cre-
ate an environmental hazard; and 
(B) require the eligible entity that is car-
rying out the project— 
(i) to limit its use of animal waste to 
not more than 20% of the total feedstock 
of the project; and 
(ii) to only use source separated 
organics as the portion of the total feed-
stock that is not animal waste. 
(c) REPORTING.— 
(1) EFFECT OF USE OF GRANT.—Each eligible 
entity that receives a grant under this section shall 
submit to the Administrator a report, at such time 
and in such form as the Administrator may require, 
on the results of the use of the grant, which such 
report shall include any relevant data requested by 
the Administrator for purposes of tracking the effec-
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tiveness of the program established under subsection 
(a)(1). 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall 
submit to Congress and make publicly available on 
the website of the Environmental Protection Agency 
an annual report describing— 
(A) the effectiveness of the program estab-
lished under subsection (a)(1) at reducing the 
amount of food waste by 50 percent by 2030, 
relative to such amount in 2010, including in-
formation on the progress of such reduction; 
and 
(B) how the Administrator is promoting 
learning among grantees and other stakeholders 
to better achieve results. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$650,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2031, 
to remain available until expended. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
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(A) a State, a local government, a terri-
torial government, or a Tribal government; 
(B) a nonprofit organization; or 
(C) a partnership of two or more of any of 
the entities described in subparagraphs (A) and 
(B). 
(3) FOOD
WASTE.—The term ‘‘food waste’’ 
means any uneaten food and inedible parts of food. 
(4) FOOD WASTE REDUCTION ACTIVITY.—The 
term ‘‘food waste reduction activity’’ means any 
method or activity that reduces the amount of food 
waste disposed of in landfills or incinerated, includ-
ing through prevention, rescue, upcycling, and recy-
cling. 
(5) NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 
is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) and is ex-
empt from taxation under section 501(a) of such 
Code. 
(6) PREVENT.—The term ‘‘prevent’’ means to 
forestall the generation of food waste. 
(7) RECYCLE.—The term ‘‘recycle’’ means to 
reuse food waste as a feedstock for a non-food prod-
uct. 
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(8) RESCUE.—The term ‘‘rescue’’ means to re-
direct surplus food for consumption. 
(9) SOURCE SEPARATED ORGANICS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘source sepa-
rated organics’’ means organic waste that is 
separated from other waste by the waste gener-
ator. 
(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘source sepa-
rated organics’’ includes materials that are cer-
tified to meet ASTM standard D6400 or 
D6868. 
(C) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘source sepa-
rated organics’’ excludes mixed solid waste. 
(10) UPCYCLE.—The term ‘‘upcycle’’ means to 
make new food from ingredients that otherwise 
would become food waste. 
Æ 
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