Waste Mission’s Post

Only 14% of our food waste is recycled. When we recycle, we not only reduce GHG emissions from the food waste itself, we also reduce the emissions and other negative effects of producing and transporting synthetic fertilizers. We can do better. The solution is reducing food waste to begin with plus building more biogas and compost systems to recycle all the waste we can't reduce or reuse.

Yesterday, we shared the current state of food waste biogas systems in the U.S.! Today, let’s explore the disposal of the 66 million tons of POST-consumer food waste. ⬇️   Up to 3% of all post-consumer food waste is recycled by 70 farm-based anaerobic  digestion facilities, which are supplementing manure feedstock with a yearly average of 31,200 tons of food waste per facility—this according ABC’s ongoing research.   Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are another important destination for food waste. So far, nearly 1/3 of the 1,091 WWTPs with operational biogas systems are accepting food waste. At these facilities, the food waste is primarily in the form of F.O.G. (fats, oil, and grease)—which falls outside the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s previously quoted figure of 66 million tons of post-consumer waste.   With the addition of composting making up 5% of of all post-consumer food waste disposal, in total, 14% is recycled.

At Bioenergy Devco, we are on a mission to combat climate change by addressing one of its most pressing challenges: food waste. Shawn Kreloff, Founder and CEO of Bioenergy Devco, discusses how we transform organic waste into renewable energy and healthy soils through anaerobic digestion with Authority Magazine. https://lnkd.in/eksuykSG #BioenergyDevco #SustainableSolutions #AnaerobicDigestion #foodwaste #recycling #sustainability #sustainableagriculture #methanereduction #methaneemissions #climatechange #climatesolutions #sustainableenergy #airquality #healthysoil #waterquality #rng #climateaction

Biochar enhances food waste composting by improving microbial activity, accelerating decomposition, and reducing ammonia emissions. It retains nitrogen, raises compost temperatures, and immobilizes heavy metals. Despite its benefits, more research is needed on microbial quality, optimal ratios, and the cost-effectiveness of large-scale applications. https://buff.ly/4eTf0d8 #Biochar #Pyrolysis #CarbonCapture

Anaerobic Digestion Of Food Waste Two recent analyses shed light on stand-alone and food waste codigestion facilities processing pre and postconsumer streams. WASTE and Circular Economy Advisers #Biogas #AnaerobicDigestion #FoodWaste #Codigestion #renewable https://lnkd.in/g-xTTCmG

Great insights

Food waste represents a significant global issue, and conventional waste management methods such as landfills, incineration, composting, and biogas production contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases and the pollution of water and air. Greentech Innovators employs biotechnology to harness the nutrients in food waste, transforming them into high-quality media for fermentation. By growing microalgae and microbes, Greentech can produce sustainable feed for the aquaculture industry. Learn more about what Greentech Innovators does to tackle food waste here: https://bit.ly/46rzFBC #foodwaste #biotechnology #wastemanagement #sustainability

We were excited to see the new Waste Food Scale, which was released by the EPA at the end of last year. This new scale shows the critical role that anaerobic digestion plays in unavoidable food waste management for organizations like schools, food processors, supermarkets, campuses and more! ♻️ Learn more about sustainable food waste management solutions with our composting VS anaerobic digestion guide: https://lnkd.in/ejKHeqR3 #composting #compost #foodwaste #anaerobicdigestion #biogas #renewableenergy #greenenergy #ecofriendlyenergy #sustainableenergy #biofertilizer #climateaction #climatechange #organicwaste #wastemanagement #climatetech #methanereduction #cleanenergy #circulareconomy #rng #zerowaste #biofuel

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲? 🍟🍔🫑 The food waste we collect can be processed through various different methods. 🪴Composting: Food waste can be composted, microorganisms break down the organic matter into compost, a nutrient-rich soil amendment. 🔥Anaerobic Digestion: Anaerobic digestion involves breaking down organic waste in the absence of oxygen. Microorganisms decompose the waste, producing biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide) Biogas can be captured and used as a renewable energy source. ⚡️Waste-to-Energy: Food waste can be incinerated at high temperatures in waste-to-energy facilities, generating heat and electricity. 💋Rendering: Rendering involves processing food waste, including animal by-products, into products such as fats, oils, and proteins. These products can be used in various industries, including pet food manufacturing, cosmetics, and biodiesel production To talk about your food waste, and how we can look after it:

Farm digesters offer a great opportunity to co-digest food waste, in particular from food processors like cheese makers. Cheesemakers make wastewater and in that wastewater is energy-rich whey which needs to be removed so clean water can be put back into our soils or waterways. That whey, which would otherwise be wasted can be recycled in biogas systems to make more renewable energy and reduce methane emissions from waste disposal. Yet some states limit food waste recycling in digesters to 20%, curtailing one of only two ways to recycle inedible food waste. State policymakers and regulators need to instead create incentives for private companies to recycle food waste for the health of our air, water, soils and community. Our VP of Policy Heather Dziedzic talks about this and other biogas topics in this recorded interview wtih Brownfield Ag News--Take a listen!