251596
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
221233, 231821
Sponsor
THE CHAIR
Title
Resolution authorizing a $75,000 service contract between the State of Wisconsin, Department of Natural Resources and City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office through its FEED MKE program to provide non-regulatory technical assistance to Wisconsin food waste generators and entities on projects to prevent and divert food waste from landfills.
Analysis
This resolution authorizes the Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) to execute a technical service contract with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide expert food waste reduction assistance to large-scale generators. By securing this $75,000 contract, the City of Milwaukee establishes itself as a cross-sector, state-wide leader, triangulating service delivery between municipal, state, and federal levels to address the climate crisis.
The program directly supports "Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption," one of the "10 Big Ideas" in the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan. While previous USDA-funded FEED MKE efforts focused on grassroots recovery and composting, this contract leverages CET Certified Food Waste Assessors to provide commercial-scale technical expertise.
By utilizing the ReFED Insights Engine and the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale, ECO will share aggregate data-including tonnage diverted, water resources saved, and labor cost reductions-with the DNR and EPA. This collaborative approach ensures that Milwaukee’s local successes in commercial food waste prevention serve as a data-backed model for state-wide policy and federal reporting, institutionalizing the City's commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Body
Whereas, the City of Milwaukee’s Climate and Equity Plan identifies "Waste Reduction and Sustainable Consumption" as a "Big Idea" to reduce methane-causing food waste in landfills; and
Whereas, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has requested the technical expertise to assist commercial food waste generators in preventing and diverting waste; and
Whereas, this contract provides $75,000 in funding for CET Certified Food Waste Assessors in ECO and Dane County to conduct 24 total site visits across three counties, providing Milwaukee with critical data on labor costs, water savings, and diverted tonnage; and
Whereas, the project utilizes the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale to prioritize "most preferred" management pathways, such as source reduction and upcycling; and
Whereas, the service agreement has a period of performance from January 2026 through September 30, 2026; and
Whereas, this partnership permits the City of Milwaukee to provide cross-sector, state-wide leadership by sharing important aggregate data with the DNR and EPA to highlight the success of municipal climate initiatives; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the Environmental Collaboration Office shall accept this grant agreement without further approval, unless the terms change as indicated in Section 304-81 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances; and, be it
Further Resolved that the City Comptroller is authorized to:
1. Commit funds within the Project/Grant Parent of the 2026 Special Revenue-Grant and Aid Projects the following amount for the project titled: FEED MKE Project- DNR:
Project/Grant GR0002600000
Fund 0150
Org 9990
Program 0001
Budget Year 0000
Sub Class R999
Account 000600
Project Grantor Share
Amount $75,000
2. Create the necessary Grant and Aid Project/Grant and Project/Grant levels; budget against these Project/Grant values the amount required under the grant agreement;
3. Establish the necessary City Share Project Values; and, be it
Further Resolved, that these funds are budgeted for the Department of Administration- Environmental Collaboration Office which is authorized to expend from the amount budgeted for specified purposes consistent with the award date.
Requestor
Department of Administration - Environmental Collaboration Office
1/20/2026