(The Center Square) – The U.S. and Italy have entered into a partnership to advance environmental protection at large-scale events.
On Tuesday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Italian Deputy Minister of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) Vannia Gava signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support efforts to address food loss and waste, increase recycling and water reuse and advance “circular economy strategies,” including at the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics. The MOU establishes a framework to share information to strengthen U.S. and Italian programs to address these issues, building on successful approaches Italy took when it hosted the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Zeldin and other Trump administration officials have been participating in a G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial in Houston. The conference has brought leaders from around the world to address energy-related issues as the U.S.-Israel war against Iran continues. The conflict has driven oil and gas prices to record highs and threatened crude supply as attacks on refineries and ships in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz continue. In response, Texas producers continue to break production and export records, The Center Squarereported.
The MOU will expand on these efforts through information sharing and best practices to reduce food loss and waste, enhance air quality management, expand water reuse and recycling initiatives and educate stakeholders and the public about responsible environmental practices.
“The United States and Italy face similar environmental challenges, and this MOU will supercharge our mutual ability to protect human health and the environment with cutting-edge ideas and gold-standard science,” Zeldin said. “The Trump EPA looks forward to both learning from MASE and sharing how our programs, like Feed It Onward, have channeled American ingenuity, grit, and community into huge environmental wins.”
Gava said the agreement will “strengthen an already solid relationship on issues crucial to the future of our planet: circular economy, reduction of food loss and waste, efficient management of resources starting with water” while looking ahead to major international events like the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Their partnership demonstrates “how environmental challenges can and must be an integral part of the events that bring the world together,” she added.
In the U.S., more than one-third of all food goes uneaten, with an annual average food waste cost of $728 per person or nearly $3,000 in annual food waste for a family of four,according to an EPA report. This equates to 11% of a household food spending that is wasted, it says.
More than 133 billion pounds of food is wasted a year in the U.S., according to the latest data. This is compounded by food wasted at large events, including a range of sporting events and the Olympics. At the same time, millions of families are struggling with food insecurity, the EPA says.
To address these issues, Zeldin’s administration launched an EPAFeed It Onward Initiative. The national platform spotlights farmers, businesses, nonprofits, military partners and communities working to ensure “good food is being put to use instead of turned to waste.” The program connects food donors and organizations with communities in need while also reducing the environmental impact of food waste in landfills.
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