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WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh is a national leader in food waste reduction and has set goals to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, achieve Zero Hunger, and reduce food waste and food losses along production and supply chains; and,
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WHEREAS, as part of the City’s partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council Food Matters Regional Initiative, we implemented a pilot program at two City-run farmers markets to collect residential organic waste during the summers of 2020 and 2021, which diverted 2,667 pounds of food waste from the landfills. Based on the success of this pilot, efforts and activities to expand residential composting will be priority; and,
WHEREAS, food loss and waste, including transport, production, storage and landfill, produces 8% of global GHG emissions, and Pittsburgh is estimated to generate 89,000 tons of food waste per year with 34% coming from residential sources; and,
WHEREAS, The Department of City Planning received a USDA grant to implement a composting pilot project to help the city closer reach its goal of zero waste by removing food scraps from our waste stream, and making sure the food is going to rebuilding soil instead of to the landfill; and,
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh is fortunate to have organizations designed to address each stage of the food waste reduction hierarchy, from those wanting to rescue food and feed people, to those who have an interest in composting and bio-digestion to give food waste a second life; and,
WHEREAS, public food waste reduction education assists in ensuring that high-quality surplus food is given to residents in need, reducing unnecessary food loss and preventing waste; and,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I, William Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, and the Council of the City of Pittsburgh, do hereby reemphasize our commitment by continuing to implement programs and tracking progress towards our Zero Waste, SDG, and other Food System Sustainability goals; and,
FURTHERMORE, declare December Twenty- Twenty-One as the second annual “Food Matters Month” here in our most livable City of Pittsburgh.