The fight against food waste has assumed unprecedented importance globally. Efforts to combat this issue surged in 2023, with a continued emphasis on methane reduction to address climate change. Recent research by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) underscored the role of food waste in landfill methane emissions, highlighting the need for action to reduce emissions by reducing the food waste that generates them. For the first time ever, the agency identified and quantified the fact that food waste is the leading cause of methane emissions from landfills, accounting for 58 percent of those emissions.
In 2023, attitudes towards food waste underwent a shift, setting the stage for intensified efforts in the coming year. The nexus between food waste and methane emissions gained newfound attention, prompting stakeholders around the globe and in the United States to prioritize solutions addressing environmental concerns and climate change mitigation. The unveiling of the “Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics” at the close of 2023 signaled the U.S. government’s commitment to fostering a more circular economy.
As part of this national strategy, the EPA has released The Wasted Food Scale to serve as a strategic framework for prioritizing actions aimed at preventing food waste while also providing actionable guidance on more ecologically friendly food disposal methods. It delineates various pathways for managing food waste, along with correlating information regarding the impact of each method.
To reduce emissions by preventing food waste from being disposed of in landfills, the EPA has identified the most favored pathways for disposal. Those that entail preventing wasted food from ending up in landfills are highlighted as useful methods for reducing food waste while also mitigating the harmful climate impact of the greenhouse emissions that emanate from landfill food waste. These disposal and reuse pathways not only incur the most substantial positive environmental impacts but also create a viable means to achieve a truly circular economy.
Organic waste conversion technologies, like anaerobic digestion (AD), hold great promise for unlocking the energy potential of organic waste materials. Anaerobic digestion, a natural microbial process, efficiently transforms organic waste into biogas, a valuable source of energy. This process, known as AD, represents a time-tested, safe, closed-loop method of microbial breakdown, offering a sustainable solution to the challenges posed by traditional waste disposal methods. In landfills or incinerators, organic waste contributes to negative environmental outcomes, including the emission of greenhouse gases like methane.
However, AD presents a more environmentally friendly alternative. By employing fully enclosed tanks known as digesters, various organic materials—such as food waste, grease, and oils—can be converted into biogas, a clean and renewable energy source. After scrubbing out impurities, the biogas becomes renewable natural gas (RNG), a powerful, clean, non-fossil fuel-based, and sustainable form of renewable energy.
Additionally, this process produces a nutrient-rich soil amendment called digestate, completing the circular economy loop by returning clean organic material to the soil and enriching it with essential nutrients for the cultivation of healthy crops. Food waste is transformed into rich, organic material to enrich soils and grow more food—a wholly circular concept.
According to ReFed, a leading authority on food waste reduction, 2024 holds immense significance as a pivotal year for achieving tangible progress in meeting food waste reduction objectives. The integration of food waste reduction strategies into broader legislative frameworks reflects a growing recognition of the interconnectedness between food waste, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience.
One example of proactive action can be found in Maryland’s legislative approach to organics recycling to mitigate methane emissions and promote renewable energy generation. The enactment of a law on January 1, 2023, marked a significant milestone in the state’s commitment to combating food waste and advancing sustainable practices. Under this legislation, applicable to a wide range of organizations, stringent limits on food residuals have been implemented, with a notable reduction to one ton per week effective January 1, 2024. This regulatory framework not only incentivizes waste reduction but also incentivizes the development of organics recycling infrastructure, fostering a closed-loop system that maximizes resource efficiency and minimizes environmental impact.
In 2023, there were nearly 100 pieces of legislation introduced across the U.S. to address food waste. So far, 22 states have enacted some form of policy or regulation to address this pressing sustainability issue in their efforts to fight climate change. But there is still much more to be done. Concerted efforts must be made to accelerate the transition towards a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable future. Collaboration between government, industry, NGOs, and communities is of the utmost importance in driving meaningful change and scaling up successful initiatives to reduce food waste while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Investments in infrastructure, innovation, and education are essential to building resilient organics recycling systems that minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency.