Application for Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery Grant (RREFR)

The Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery (RREFR) program provides funding to support projects that advance recycling, waste reduction, and edible food recovery efforts in Orange County. Administered by OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR), the program helps meet state-mandated waste diversion requirements, including Assembly Bill 939 and Senate Bill 1383, which require jurisdictions statewide to recover 20 percent of surplus edible food.

The RREFR grant focuses on expanding edible food recovery countywide. The 2024 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning Report projects that, between 2025 and 2034, 40,000 tons of edible food will be landfilled compared to just 10,000 tons recovered. The grant aims to bridge the gap by strengthening regional infrastructure for the safe collection, storage, transportation, and distribution of edible food, and by supporting projects that achieve measurable diversion of edible food from landfills.

OCWR will host a live question and answer virtual session on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Visit oclandfills.com/grants for a virtual meeting link.

Questions may still be submitted through Friday, April 3, 2026.

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California Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), known as the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, is a state law aimed at reducing greenhouse gas impacts to the environment. The bill sets targets to reduce organic waste by 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025, compared to 2014 levels. With 30-40% of the state’s methane emissions originating from landfills, OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is continually looking for innovative ways to reduce landfill emissions and make an impact in supporting the state’s goals.

SB 1383 also mandates that 20% of surplus edible food be recovered for human consumption rather than disposed of at landfills. According to the OC Waste & Recycling 2024 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning report for Orange County, between the years of 2025 and 2034, an estimated 10,000 tons of edible food will end up in landfills. This report exemplifies a need to improve an edible food recovery model that is more efficient and time-sensitive across edible food recovery organizations (EFROs), prep kitchens, food pantries, and other entities, as the backbone of the recovery and distribution infrastructure.

Most of these EFROs are non-profits with limited resources, among many other challenges. With scarce grant opportunities and tightened fiscal budgets, additional funding is needed to sustain the long-term resources required for the safe collection, storage, preparation, distribution, and tracking of edible foods. In addition, although SB 1383 requirements and enforcement are jurisdictional, the recovery and distribution of food is not. Regional collaboration is crucial among local entities to foster more efficient partnerships to meet SB 1383 goals in Orange County.

The Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery Grant (RREFR) aims to improve the County’s partnerships with Edible Food Recovery Organizations (EFROs) to better promote and expand edible food recovery infrastructure throughout Orange County, in support of County and local jurisdiction SB 1383 mandates, by providing financial support and incentives through a competitive five-year grant program.

A total of up to $6,000,000 is available over three fiscal years (FYs) 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29, with up to $2,000,000 allotted in total per year. The maximum requested grant funds must not exceed $500,000 per grant award. Awarded grantees are to be advanced 50% of their total awarded grant funds within the first three years of the 5-year grant term, with the remaining awarded grant funds reimbursed on a quarterly report schedule.

Grant funding is derived from the County of Orange AB 939 Self-Haul Surcharge. The County’s Board of Supervisors has directed that this funding be used to develop new programs and activities or significantly expand existing programs and activities to strengthen recycling efforts and divert valuable materials from Orange County landfills. As a result, the Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery Grant (RREFR), aims to reduce edible food from ending up in the landfill and redirect it to our residents, jurisdictions, and underserved communities through recovery programs. Furthermore, this grant will reduce environmental impacts, which supports the goals of the preliminary County of Orange Climate Action Plan and assists the County and local jurisdictions in meeting their SB1383 mandates by supporting the necessary edible food recovery infrastructure and programs needed to meet SB 1383.