What is the problem?
Food waste is an escalating problem in the United States. According to the USDA, just over a quarter of the country's food - about 25.9 million tons - gets thrown in the garbage can every year costing the U.S. $1 billion in disposal fees.
The bigger problem occurs once this food gets to the landfill. When food rots it releases methane, a greenhouse gas which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat within our atmosphere. Landfills account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S.
Food Waste Reduction and Composting.
More and more, restaurants and markets are finding alternative outlets to throwing out their food waste—including donating it to soup kitchens or selling it to farms looking for cheap animal feed. Some areas have set up local compost programs for commercial and residential buildings and use the resulting nutrient-rich soil for municipal projects or community landscaping.
IEM has implemented composting programs at some retail centers across the country, diverting up to 20 percent of food waste at each location. Composting can help properties that produce large amounts of food scraps to minimize their landfill-bound waste and reduce their disposal costs.
For more information on IEM’s Waste Reduction and Composting Programs or to request a case study please
contact us.
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food Production Daily