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Zero Waste Innovations Grant Program
What is the Zero Waste Innovations Grant Program?
The City of San José's Environmental Services Department launched the Zero Waste Innovations Grant (ZWIG) Program in Fall 2025. The ZWIG Program supports creative, community-driven solutions that reduce solid waste while promoting sustainability and a circular economy.
The total budget for the grant is $335,000, with individual one-year grant project awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
Who can apply?
- Non-profits
- Small businesses (50 or fewer employees)
- Community and faith-based organizations
- Neighborhood associations and schools or academic institutions
- Eligible applicants must be based in San José or recover materials generated in San José
Program Goals
This new competitive grant program, funded by AB 939 landfill and non-disposal fees, has the following goals and objectives:
- Goals: help the San José community overcome financial barriers to implementing solid waste reduction practices, expand reusable infrastructure, promote community engagement, foster innovative partnerships, and test new tactics that keep waste out of the landfill.
- Objectives: implement strategies from the Zero Waste Element of the Climate Smart San José Plan to lower solid-waste related greenhouse gas emissions, lower recycling contamination, increase citywide waste diversion, and foster new reuse/recycling markets through grant projects.
Through this grant program, San José seeks to inspire innovation, showcase best practices, and align with other leading zero-waste cities across the nation. Let’s work together to build a more sustainable San José!
Award Categories
Waste Prevention & Redesign: Projects that avoid creating waste in the first place by reducing the creation, distribution, or use of materials. This can be achieved through single-use item replacement, redesign, and supporting a circular economy. Waste prevention avoids the need to collect, recycle, or compost materials.
Reuse & Repair: Reuse projects that replace disposable single-use items with durable reusables, extending the life of products and materials through resale, rental, and/or sharing models. This also includes deconstruction and dismantling of building materials for reuse. Repair projects that support the refurbishing or repairing a faulty or broken product/component and returning it to a usable state. Projects that aim to extend the life of a product, keeping it out of the recycling or landfill streams.
Food Waste Prevention & Recovery: Divert food waste from the landfill; collect and redistribute edible food that would otherwise go to waste or be composted; reuse food or food production by-products to feed animals or make into new products. Prevent food waste from contaminating the residential recycling.
ZWIG CYCLE 1 Grantees (2026-2027)
The City of San José is excited to announce ZWIG Cycle 1 grantees, starting April 2026! Awarded projects and the associated organizations are listed below by grant category. Follow our grantees and Environmental Services (@SJEnvironment) on Instagram or Facebook to keep up with the projects and upcoming events.
resources
View the Cycle 1 Pre-Application webinar recording and presentation deck from November 12, 2025.
The information and documents contained in this section include past entries. In accordance with ADA Title II requirements mandating WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for state and local government digital content by April 24, 2026, materials dated prior to this deadline may not meet current accessibility standards. If you require an accessible version of any material, please contact us at SJEnvironment@SanJoseCA.gov.
Questions?
Contact us at (408) 975-2505 or via email at ZWIGrants@sanjoseca.gov.
Stay up to date
Sign up to get ZWIG Program updates: Subscribe for ZWIG updates
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