State of Washington’s Department of Ecology

The State of Washington’s Department of Ecology has budgeted up to $1M for a firm to develop a public education and behavior change campaign designed to reduce food waste and contamination.

The goal is to cut the amount of wasted food through prevention, rescue and recovery strategies.

The Evergreen State is eager to cut the amount of food that goes into its landfills. Food is one of the largest components (13 percent) of Washington’s solid waste stream. Washington is targeting a 50 percent drop in food waste by 2030.

The state also is experiencing unprecedented food insecurity, with over two million Washingtonians (26 percent) identified as food insecure or unable to reliably access a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food in 2020, according to the RFP.

The DOE is looking for culture-centered messaging through social/community-based marketing to raise awareness of the environmental and economic impacts of wasted food.

The selected firm will engage with businesses, non-profits, local government and federal agencies to gain their support and sponsorship of the campaign.

The DoE plans to issue a one-year contract and retain the option to extend the pact for four additional years.

Responses are due Aug. 18. They go to RFP procurement coordinator Jade Monroe at [email protected].

Read the RFP (PDF).