Links and Resources About Food Recovery in the Phoenix Area

EPA’s Wasted Food Scale ranks these food waste reduction activities from most preferred to least preferred.

• Prevent Wasted Food
• Donate or Upcycle
• Feed Animals
• Anaerobic Digestion, and Fats, Oils & Grease
• Compost

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Prevent Wasted Food

Produce, buy, and serve only what is needed. There are many resources available to prevent wasted food:

• EPA Food Recovery Website
  • Food and Packaging Waste Prevention Tool (xlsm) (892.16 KB, March 2014)
    Tracks the amount and reasons specific foods are wasted.
  • Reducing Wasted Food & Packaging: A Guide for Food Services and Restaurants (pdf) (1.28 MB, March 2014, EPA-909-K-14-002)
    Provides guidance on using the prevention tool tracking results to save money and reduce waste.
  • A Guide to Conducting and Analyzing a Food Waste Assessment (pdf) (1.55 MB, March 2014, EPA-530-F-15-003)
    Shows how to do a one-time snapshot wasted food assessment.
• National Restaurant Association Sustainability Expert Exchange Program
  Provides resources, tools and videos to assist restaurants in each step of a food waste reduction program.

Donate or Upcycle

The resources below include national, regional and local organizations which take food donations in the Phoenix area. Most take non-perishables, and some accept surplus perishable foods. Be prepared to describe your donations in terms of packaging, preparation, frequency and type.

Food Pantries and Food Banks

Many have varying or limited capabilities for storing food donations and therefore limit the types or timing of donations. It's often best to contact several to determine which can use your donations. Below are links to find local food pantries and food banks.

• Ample Harvest
  Find a pantry near you.
• Rock and Wrap it Up!
  Matches vetted charities with eligible donors of perishable food, including entertainment venues, hotels, K-12 schools, colleges, sports teams, and hospitals. A "Whole Earth Calculator" converts total pounds of donated food into meal equivalents and carbon dioxide averted equivalents.
• Borderlands Produce Rescue
  Rescues and distributes fresh produce, mostly from the Nogales point-of-entry, to those in need.
• Waste Not
  Picks up and delivers perishable food the same day; does not warehouse or store food. 1700 North Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257; (480) 941-1841
• The 3000 Club Market on the Move
  Donate ten dollars and get up to 60 pounds of fresh produce in a farmers market-like atmosphere in Phoenix, Tuscon and northern Arizona.
• Chefs to End Hunger
  • Provides meals to the hungry by redistributing the excess prepared food that would normally go to waste in hotels, restaurants, and other food service operations to local charitable organizations to serve the meals.
  • Empowers chefs to easily and efficiently use the resources already at their disposal and repurpose food currently going to waste.
  • Operates in California, Nevada and Arizona.
• Food Pantries.org
  See a list of Arizona food pantries.

The following food pantries and donation centers may accept perishable donations:

Food Pantries

Food Pantry	Contact
Cultural Cup Food Bank (602) 266-8370	342 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Arizona Kosher Pantry (602) 492-4989	7118 North 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85020
Friendly House (602) 257-1870	113 W Sherman St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Salvation Army - Mesa Citadel Family Services	241 E. 6th St., Bldg. 3 Mesa, AZ, 85201

Food Banks

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Donation Center	Location	Contact
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance	2831 N. 31st Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85009	(602) 242-FOOD (3663)
United Food Bank	245 South Nina Dr. Mesa, AZ 85210	(480) 926-4897
Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank	10862 N 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85028	(602) 867-9228

Feed Animals

Pig/Hog Farms

Large pig farms may accept food scraps. The Federal Swine Health Protection Act requires that food containing, or that comes in contact with, meat or animal materials must be boiled before being fed to pigs. Consequently, many local pig farmers are primarily interested in single-stream fruits and vegetables or grain waste. Arrangements are often informal and can be intermittent.

Spent Grain from Breweries

Spent grain from breweries can be used as animal feed, primarily for cattle, but also for pigs, goats, fish and almost any livestock. Most breweries give the grain away to local farms. Manufacturers with single food waste streams can find local farms and ranches to donate their excess/by-product.

Anaerobic Digestion, and Fats, Oils & Grease

Fats, oils and grease, also known as FOG, can be converted to fuels and has various industrial uses. FOG and food scraps can also be anaerobically digested to create energy, and the digestate can be composted to create a soil amendment. Phoenix area options and resources include:

• Find an Anaerobic Digester
  Use EPA's Excess Food Opportunities Map to identify a facility near you.
• Baker Commodities Inc.
  FOG collection, grease trap maintenance.
  (602) 254-5971
• Grecycle
  Recycles cooking oil into fuels and has pick-up and drop-off locations.
  (520) 628-4300

Compost

Composting turns food scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment and can be done on-site in smaller amounts or on a larger scale at a municipal or commercial level.

• ​Use EPA's Excess Food Opportunities Map to locate a facility near you.
• Find a Composter - a searchable database of composting facilities.
• The Compost Navigator
  Enter your address and any of eight material categories you’d like to sustainably manage, and the nearest composters (and AD facilities) will pop up in the map.

Composting Facilities/Operations

Location	Location	Contact
Recycled City (residential and commercial food scraps collection and composting)	Phoenix Area	(480) 269-5149 [email protected]
Compost Crowd (food scraps collection for residential communities, businesses, and eateries)	Flagstaff and Sedona	(928) 301-1534 [email protected]