Edible Food Recovery Capacity Planning Report for Alameda County
This report, published by StopWaste in September 2025, evaluates the county's progress in recovering surplus edible food from commercial generators under California's SB 1383. The report also assesses the capacity of the local food recovery network — including the Alameda County Community Food Bank and independent organizations — and offers recommendations for strengthening the system. Key Findings The 2024 Edible Food Recovery Capacity Plan confirmed that Alameda County has adequate capacity to recover edible surplus food from Tier One and Tier Two Commercial Edible Food Generators operating
Eat What You Have — Creative Ways to Use Up Food
Use What You Have First Do a weekly fridge check — Take a few minutes each week to do a rough inventory of what you already have and see what needs to be eaten soon. Use the Fridge Reality Check to guide you. Not sure if something is still good to eat? Most date labels are guidance for quality, not safety. Learn what food date labels really mean on our Date Labels page. Follow the "First In, First Out" rule — When going through your pantry, freezer, and fridge, make sure to use older food items and ingredients first. Don't let precious ingredients get lost or buried by new purchases. Use the
Deciphering Dates on Products
Food date labels have little to do with safety and are only loosely related to quality. Many foods will still be good to eat well after those dates.
Fruit & Veggie Storage Guide
Learn which fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer inside or outside the fridge with this storage guide. Post the guide on your fridge for quick reference.
Is Food Going to Waste in Your Fridge?
Watch this step-by-step guide on how to conduct a Fridge Reality Check to find out how much food is going uneaten in your fridge. Learn why food waste is an issue and how to reduce it with easy tips and tools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eILjLxgtHo
StopFoodWaste Seasonal Produce Postcards
Berkeley Food Network and StopWaste have collaborated on a series of postcards showing commonly distributed seasonal produce with tips on how to store, cook, and preserve it to prolong its freshness and nutritional value to make the most of it. The fall and winter produce series includes winter greens, root vegetables, squash, and apples. The summer and spring produce series includes and berries, tomatoes, stone fruit, and beans and peas. The postcards are available in Spanish and English.
Environmental Leadership Awards - June 2025
This annual awards program honors Alameda County entities for their leadership and innovations in advancing environmental sustainability, waste prevention, and contributions to building healthy, climate resilient communities in Alameda County. Since the inception of the awards program in 2000, well over 100 Alameda County businesses and institutions have been recognized.
Community Compost Hubs - May 2025
California’s landmark climate law, SB 1383, requires that food scraps and other organic materials be kept out of landfills and instead recycled into products like compost. This compost is then used by farmers, gardeners, and landscapers to build healthy soil vital to growing food and plants. To meet the law’s goals, California jurisdictions must divert 27 million tons of organic material from landfills annually by 2025 and procure or give away a minimum quantity of recycled organic products, such as compost and mulch. One of the ways StopWaste is helping to meet this challenge is through
StopWaste Goals and Focus Areas - April 2025
StopWaste’s work is guided by three overarching goals, rooted in our core mission and vision: Thriving Circular Economy • Healthy Local Food System • Innovative Bay Area Construction Sector We use these long-term goals to inform our budget and help shape our strategy and programming. To achieve these goals, we organize our work and activities around a set of focus areas that collectively guide our programmatic work plan for fiscal years 2026-2028. We engage partners and community at the local, regional, and state levels to maximize our impact across all of the goals and focus areas. This is a
Reusable Bag Laws in California - 2025 Update - March 2025
Over the last decade, Alameda County and the State of California have progressively tightened laws on plastic bag use, aiming to curb pollution, encourage sustainable practices, and reduce waste. These measures have notably decreased plastic bag consumption and helped protect our environment. However, due to a variety of factors, we’re seeing an increase in the number of plastic bags being distributed and a decrease in customers bringing their own. New state and local regulations are underway to help address this issue. To reduce confusion and allow for local enforcement of the updated