Template revised April 12, 2018.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
7a
BRIEFING ITEM
Date of Meeting
April 16, 2019
DATE: April 8, 2019
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Elizabeth Leavitt, Director, Environment and Sustainability
SUBJECT: U.S. EPA Food Recovery Challenge Regional Award for Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) received a 2018 Food Recovery Challenge Regional
Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding accomplishments
preventing and diverting wasted food in 2017. Tim Hamlin, Director, Office of Air & Waste, U.S.
EPA, Region 10, is here today to present the award to Port leadership.
SEA’s 2018 FOOD RECOVERY CHALLENGE REGIONAL AWARD
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Key accomplishments:
Diverted 692 tons of food waste from landfill (composting, oil recycling, and donation)
Donated 37,500 meals to community
Saved $33,500 in waste disposal costs
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 106 tons
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) is part of U.S. EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management
Program, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of materials through their entire
lifecycle. Participants provide baseline food recovery data, pledge to improve, and report their
results. SEA joined the FRC in 2017 and annually shares data from existing food donation,
composting, and used cooking oil programs.
SEA’s food donation program began in 2006 and annually rescues thousands of pounds of safe
and edible unsold food from landfill. To date, airport tenants have donated over 283,244 meals
(354,055 pounds) of perishable, prepared foods to neighbor communities through the Des
Moines Area Food Bank. SEA’s food recovery efforts extend beyond donation to include
composting food scraps into soil amendments and recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel.
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Award recognizes accomplishments reported in calendar year 2017
