HB6684, titled the Zero Food Waste Act, would create a federal grant program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency to help states, local governments, tribal governments, territorial governments, nonprofit organizations, and partnerships reduce food waste. The program is designed to support a broad range of activities, including studies of food waste generation, development of local or regional food waste reduction plans, data collection and public reporting, technical assistance, and direct implementation of food waste reduction projects.
The bill sets an overall policy goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2035, relative to 2015 levels. It also specifically allows grants for measures such as differential pricing for food waste disposal, restrictions on landfilling or incineration of food waste, requirements tied to food waste reduction activities, and policies intended to strengthen recycling end-markets. For anaerobic digestion projects, the bill adds conditions on feedstock composition and end-product recycling to soil amendment uses that avoid environmental harm.
The bill would not directly rewrite existing state waste laws, but it would create a new federal grant and reporting framework that could influence state and local solid waste, recycling, organics diversion, and landfill policy. It authorizes $650 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2035 and directs EPA to issue annual reports to Congress and the public on progress toward the food waste reduction target. Eligible recipients could use the funds to build infrastructure, collect data, adopt disposal restrictions, or expand food rescue, upcycling, composting, and anaerobic digestion programs, with priority for underserved communities and entities with demonstrated need.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the overall posture appears supportive and policy-oriented rather than contentious at this stage. The bill is framed around environmental protection, waste reduction, and resource recovery, with attention to communities of color, low-income communities, and Tribal communities that have been disproportionately affected by environmental harms. Because there are no transcripts or votes available, there is no documented opposition or bipartisan division in the provided materials.
The main potential points of contention are likely to involve the scale of federal spending, the use of EPA-administered grants to shape local waste policy, and the bill’s support for disposal restrictions and differential pricing that could affect landfill operators, waste haulers, and local governments. Another possible issue is the anaerobic digestion provisions, which impose feedstock and end-product requirements that may be scrutinized by project developers and agricultural stakeholders. The bill also excludes nonprofit organizations from some grant categories unless they provide letters of support, which may affect how advocacy and community groups participate.