BPI, North America鈥檚 leading authority on compostable products and packaging, announces the launch of its Composting Microgrants program. The initiative aims to fund food scrap programs that incorporate compostable products, thereby increasing awareness of successful composting stories. BPI helps keep food scraps, yard trimmings, and associated compostable packaging out of landfills by fostering composter confidence in BPI-Certified products.
The primary purpose of the BPI Composting Microgrants is to support programs that use compostable products and aims to achieve these goals: (1) promote best practices for the use and successful diversion of compostable products, (2) increase food waste collection using compostable products, and (3) improve operations to better process compostable products.
Eligible applicants include for-profit companies (such as food waste haulers and composters), non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies actively involved in composting. The grants can be used for various activities, including:
- Events: Registration/travel for presentations and exhibits showcasing compostable product collection and processing (e.g., using the BPI certification mark).
- Promotional Material: Ads, truck wraps, flyers, signs, etc., demonstrating compostable products as accepted feedstock.
- Training and Equipment: Courses, consulting time, equipment, etc., to improve operations for processing compostable products.
- Research Reports: Field testing, compost quality testing, contamination mitigation, and more to build confidence in processing compostable products effectively.
The microgrants range from $500 to $5,000, with a total of $35,000 available for the September 2024-June 2025 grant cycle. The funding is issued 50% at the award time and 50% upon project completion by June 30, 2025. Submission deadline is Friday November 8, 2024 at 5pm Eastern Time.