Submission Deadline: Monday, February 9th, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET
Purpose & Goals
The Organics Management Guide will highlight innovative programs, policies, and partnerships that advance the “sustainable organic materials management” across local and regional systems.

This guide illustrates “the journey of food and the shift away from disposal”, documenting how communities, organizations, and businesses manage surplus food, food scraps, and wasted food through strategies such as source reduction, upcycling, donation for human consumption, animal feed processing, composing, anaerobic digestion and other beneficial reuse methods.

Aligned with the federal Wasted Food Scale, this guide will serve as a practical reference for policymakers, program managers, political jurisdictions, and industry stakeholders seeking proven, replicable strategies for effective organics management.


Submission Overview
We invite state and local governments, nonprofits, institutions, businesses, and other partners to submit short case studies or project summaries describing real-world examples of organics management efforts.

Each case study submission should cover some or all of the following components, depending on the applicability and availability of information. Some submissions may include additional sections if relevant.

Each submission should provide clear, factual information about the program or project, following the framework below. If your project is not applicable to any of the questions, please enter N/A.
Contact
Include contact information for a representative who can answer follow-up questions.

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* 1. Name:

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* 2. Title:

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* 3. Organization:

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* 4. Email Address:

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* 5. Website

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* 6. Select the Primary Entity Type
Please identify the category that best represents your project:

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* 7. Background
Provide context for the program, project, or policy — why it was developed, when it began, and the problem or opportunity it addresses.

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* 8. Summary
Briefly describe the initiative, including its goals, location, and primary outcomes.

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* 9. Percent of Overall Diverted Material
If available, include data or estimates on the portion of the community or organization’s total diverted material no longer associated with the waste stream that this program or policy addresses.

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* 10. Key Program Elements or Policy Provisions
Describe the structure and main components of your program or policy. Explain the investments origins (who, how much). Please include as many of the following elements as applicable:
  1. What types of materials are being managed? (e.g., surplus recoverable foods, food scraps, wasted food.
  2. How are these materials managed?
  3. Who is responsible for managing them? (Organizations, agencies, businesses, or other entities)
  4. What products are generated, and how are they utilized or managed? (e.g., compost, animal feed, energy products)
  5. Who funds the management of these materials? (Funding sources, grants, partnerships)
  6. Who generates these materials? (Identify the origin: households, institutions, businesses, etc.)

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* 11. Regulatory Impact
Describe how laws, policies, regulations, and/or code have affected your program or project. This may include positive, negative, or neutral impacts.
Consider noting which regulations apply, how they influenced implementation or operations, any challenges or barriers encountered, and how compliance requirements shaped program decisions.

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* 12. Measurable Increase in Supply
Include data or qualitative outcomes showing growth in collection, diversion, or reuse volumes if available.

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* 13. Behavior Change
Describe whether the initiative resulted in measurable behavior change and explain how you determined this. If behavior change occurred, outline the strategies that proved most effective. Please include any available data or evidence that supports your findings.

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* 14. Benefits and Impacts (Economic, Environmental, and Social)
Describe the economic, environmental, and social sustainability impacts of the program, policy, or initiative. This may include both positive and negative outcomes.

You may address impacts such as costs or savings, job creation, waste reduction, emissions, resource conservation, community engagement, equity, or public health. Please include data or qualitative observations where available and note any trade-offs or challenges.

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* 15. How Stakeholder Buy-In Was Achieved
Explain how the program gained support from key stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, businesses, residents, nonprofits).

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* 16. Stakeholders’ Perspectives and Dynamics at Play
Highlight collaboration dynamics, challenges, or differing stakeholder interests and how they were addressed.

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* 17. Lessons Learned
Share what worked well, what didn’t, and recommendations for others seeking to replicate your approach.

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* 18. Additional Documentation

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