Evaluation of Oregon’s Food Waste Recovery and Reintegration Policy Adoption through Civic Capacity

The US Food System is complex and multi-layered, containing many areas for improvement. My research focuses specifically on the issue area of food waste. On a global and national scale mitigating food waste can seem too large to manage. Containing complexity across multiple sectors and with extended timelines for improvements, it is indeed a wicked problem, a problem which in its complexity is almost impossible to fully distinguish or address with one (or even multiple) solutions. (Rittel, 1973). However, when we look to local, place-based solutions we can develop more realistic and actionable plans. The state of Oregon is equipped to cut food waste loss by 50% within the next 10 years but will need to tap into existing civic capacity to reach this intended goal. In the following, I will critically evaluate and offer recommendations for the current Oregon Metro and City of Portland policy on local food waste recovery and reintegration. Just as important as the policy itself, I will explore the abilities of the City of Portland and Oregon Metro to establish principles of collaborative governance and polity leadership to act as a centering-agent in helping support the regions’ civic capacity towards implementing policy and successfully manage Sustainable Development Goals.