Large items like mattresses, furniture, and appliances can be a challenge to dispose at the end of their useful life. Fortunately, all residents in single-family homes in Alameda County have at least one curbside bulky waste pickup available annually, as part of their normal waste collection services.

Since 2012, StopWaste has offered grant funding for projects that aim to reduce the generation of wasted food.  Since 2018, additional grant funding has been provided to help purchase equipment that ensures edible surplus food finds its way safely to people in need.

In the wake of changes in global markets for recyclable materials, in 2019, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 1583, requiring CalRecycle to convene a Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling. This collaborative concept was modeled after StopWaste’s own Alameda County Recycling Markets Network, and is tasked with evaluating California’s current state of recycling and recommending policies to fix it.

As part of its annual Business Efficiency Awards, StopWaste is recognizing four Alameda County businesses for their efforts in upstream waste prevention through reuse, recycling, composting, and food waste prevention. Their leadership this year is particularly exemplary given the operational challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waste Prevention Equipment Grants

Nonprofit Bay Area Community Health (BACH) provides not only health care and education, but also prioritizes the social and nutritional needs of their patients. Often that means writing a prescription for healthy food from the “Food Farmacy,” a monthly pop-up at BACH’s Liberty Clinic in Fremont. A waste prevention equipment grant from StopWaste has allowed them to purchase new equipment to keep donated fruits and veggies fresher longer.

StopWaste’s schools-based outreach has traditionally provided K-12 students with environmental education programs that encourage students and their families to take action on the 4Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, rot) at school, at home and in their communities.

During this pandemic, the StopWaste Schools Team has been utilizing a collaborative approach to providing virtual training and other resources to students, their families, teachers and school administrators.  This year, our offerings have shifted to distance learning with a focus on web-based digital content.

The RE:Source guide is the latest generation of online search tools from StopWaste, intended to provide answers for what to do with the things you no longer need as well as comprehensive city-specific curbside service information on what goes where. It replaces the previous online guide RecycleWhere.org, and is faster and easier to use.

Food Waste Prevention & Recovery Grants

West Oakland-based nonprofit Mandela Partners was founded over 15 years ago with a simple vision: Improve access to fresh fruit and vegetables for all Oakland residents, while supporting local family farmers and community-based businesses. StopWaste grant funding supports outreach for a paid CSA program that supports donation of healthy produce to families in need.