The City of Grand Junction received a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for a Composting and Food Waste Reduction Pilot Project. Goals for the grant include demonstrating the need for food waste composting facility upgrades at the Mesa County Compost Facility, supporting circular economies through improved resource management and compost utilization, and enhancing the regions soil health and water holding capacity of the land. The total amount of the grant is $126,506.00 which includes an allocation from the USDA of $89,600 and another $36,906 from the city and Mesa County in matching funds for this collaborative program designed to increase the composting of food waste.
The City of Grand Junction has identified recycling, reuse, and waste reduction as strongly held goals in their 2020 comprehensive plan as well as in the Strategic Plan outlined by City Council in 2023. According to the Western Colorado Waste Diversion Study, conducted by Souder Miller and Associates in 2018, about 13 percent of Mesa County’s waste is comprised of food. This is equivalent to 21,420 metric tons of organic material that goes into the landfill annually because food waste is not currently accepted at the local Mesa County Compost Facility. As compost is more effectively used by the community for gardens and agriculture, additional space will be made available to accept food waste for composting. Read the full release at gjcity.org.