City of #SpringfieldMO looks into starting new program to reduce #FoodWaste
By Billie Brightman
Published: Aug. 14, 2026 at 6:46 AM EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - "The City of Springfield’s Environmental Services did a study on landfill waste composition and found that 20% of waste being sent to Springfield’s landfill is food waste.
"The city already has #composting programs that have helped divert a lot of that waste and turn it into something that can help the environment.
"To make an even bigger impact, the city is looking at a grant to fund the new #FoodWise Initiative.
"Staff can apply for up to $300,000 from the #WorldWildlifeFund to pay for an educational outreach program to teach people about best #FoodStorage practices, how to prolong food life by #freezing and dehydrating, #MealPlanning, shopping smart, and using all parts of your food.
" 'How can we help people to better meal plan, especially meal planning on a budget,' said Environmental Services Market Development Coordinator Ashley Krug, 'which is something I think we all consider right now a lot with food being as expensive as it is. How can we think about utilizing materials in a new way that really lets us maximize the usage of them and not forget about the spinach that we have sitting in the back of our fridge every single time?'
"Some of it might seem obvious, but there are parts of it that you might not know about that can help you save food.
" 'Innately, we sometimes think like, ‘Oh, yeah, I understand how to handle this,’ Krug said, 'but oftentimes even our refrigerators aren’t actually designed sometimes in ways that are very intuitive for prolonging produce, for example. So when we can have those conversations with people, that kind of turns that lightbulb on.'
"Through education, the city wants to target families with kids under 18 and adults ages 18 to 35 because young people making change now sets everyone up for a stronger future.
" 'This also just enables you to take that into a long-term lifestyle,' said Krug, 'and those are the people who are going to be inheriting our landfill from all of us, right? So I want kids to think about having ways to preserve that landfill lifespan for as long as possible for themselves.'
"But most of the funds would help support food storage kits and workbooks so no one has a reason to say they can’t do it.
"City staff is finalizing the exact amount they will ask for so they can apply for the grant by September 1. They expect to hear back before the end of the year, as #WWF would like programs to start in January 2027."
Source:
https://www.ky3.com/2026/08/14/city-springfield-looks-into-starting-new-program-reduce-food-waste/
#SolarPunkSunday #ReduceFoodWaste #Compost #FoodPreservation #ReduceWaste #ZeroWaste
