How food and beverage manufacturers are making more sustainable organic waste decisions

Finding a comprehensive, cost-competitive and sustainable waste management solution can be a significant challenge. For food and beverage manufacturers, distributors and retailers, food waste is inevitable and with regulations frequently changing, it can be hard to keep up. While edible organic waste should be prioritized for donation to people and animals, inedible waste, such as manufacturing waste or product recalls, poses a dilemma: where should it go and how can we dispose of it more sustainably?

Food waste and the rise of organic waste bans

Food and beverage waste has long been thrown away alongside non-organic waste streams, typically ending up in incinerators and landfills and losing any of its nutrient reclamation potential. In fact, according to the EPA, food is the most landfilled material, comprising roughly 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.

Recognizing this environmental impact, state and local governments across the country are enacting organic waste bans and recycling laws that require landfill diversion. The National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, enacted in 2024, created a goal of halving food loss and waste by 2030. Redirecting organic waste away from landfills unlocks its potential to be recycled into valuable byproducts and promotes a more circular economy.

Reducing food waste’s environmental impact in the circular economy

Food and beverage manufacturers are no strangers to the pursuit of a circular economy, actively embracing strategies to align with the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale. To reduce the environmental impact of wasted food, the EPA established a hierarchy of the most beneficial waste diversion options. Preventing wasted food is the most preferred option, followed by donation and upcycling. For food that cannot be consumed, alternatives such as repurposing waste for animal feed, converting organic material into compost for agriculture, or utilizing anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy and nutrient-rich digestate offer more sustainable pathways for diversion. By investing in these practices, manufacturers not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also contribute to a circular economy where waste is minimized, resources are recovered and environmental harm is mitigated.

Anaerobic digestion as a sustainable organics destination   

An often overlooked yet highly effective method of managing organic waste is anaerobic digestion, an enclosed process in which microbes break down organic material to produce biogas, a renewable energy source and digestate, a valuable fertilizer. This process helps reduce landfilled waste, capture greenhouse gas emissions and recycle nutrients back into the soil. In countries like Germany and France, anaerobic digestion is an essential part of national waste management strategies, diverting food waste from landfills and providing green energy solutions. The U.S. has started to recognize the potential of anaerobic digestion, with a growing number of facilities that manage food and agricultural waste, the majority of which are located on dairy farms. By recycling inedible and unsaleable organic material via anaerobic digestion, the food and beverage industry can play a significant role in not only reducing environmental impact but also generating renewable energy and contributing towards regenerative agriculture.

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