Landfill methane emissions are a major environmental concern and represent the third-largest source of methane emissions in the US, after agriculture and energy.[1] Alarmingly, one-third of food produced in the US goes uneaten, and 60% of “eaten” food is discarded.[2] The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 58% of landfill methane emissions are derived from this wasted food. They also reported that total methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills are decreasing due to improvements in landfill gas collection systems, yet from 1990 to 2020, methane emissions from landfilled food increased 295%.[3] Given these findings, preventing food waste has become the “low hanging fruit” for consumers and legislators to lower methane emissions. Waste Management, Inc. (WM) is a leader with programs and technologies that convert organic food waste into energy, and policy makers are also taking action to support methane-emissions reductions efforts.
Food waste is also lost energy, and WM is taking steps to mitigate this with its CORe® (Conversion of Organic Residuals) process. This patented technology is an innovative solution that recovers wasted energy by converting food waste collected from local communities into engineered bioslurry (EBS®), an organic slurry product. The EBS® is then co-digested in municipal water treatment plants and helps to enhance renewable and green energy production. (See Figure 1 below for a breakdown of the process). By capturing methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, WM not only reduces landfill methane emissions, but also transforms waste into a valuable energy resource, demonstrating a sustainable approach to managing food waste.
Figure 1: Source Sanitation Foundation Partner Spotlight: Waste Management of New York CORe
WM’s CORe® technology is timely, and coincides with the federal government’s broader efforts, particularly the first draft for a national food waste prevention strategy unveiled at COP28. This strategy highlights a commitment to developing organic waste recycling infrastructure, such as on-farm anaerobic digestion, with the ambitious goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. At the community level, local governments can now access federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to fund organics diversion programs, including food scrap drop-offs and curbside collection.
Together, WM’s CORe® Process technology and supportive government initiatives create a promising pathway to effectively address methane emissions from landfills, tackling environmental issues while also providing economic benefits.
If you are interested in reading more about corporate work to lower negative environmental impacts, please see other EP Insights from Terra Alpha here.
[2] EPA: From Field to Bin: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste Management Pathways
[3] WasteDive: EPA reports quantify methane emissions from organic waste, retire food recovery hierarchy