Introduction

Some explanation here about the context about food waste, and parts involved…

Probably combine it with the next section.

Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) —more commonly known as trash or garbage— “consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.” (Source: EPA)

Every year, the US produces a total of 292.4 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste, 732,614 tons of which are produced in Delaware alone.

This equates to 10,442,857 heavy tonnage trucks per year in the case of the US, and to 26,165 for Delaware.

The cost of food waste

The cost of surplus food is estimated at $398 billion per year, with 70% of that cost paying for waste management.

If we exclude the surplus food generated on the farm and during manufacturing, the total surplus food produced by consumers, foodservice, and retail sectors is 53 million tons per year, or 324.6 pounds per person, and costing $350 billion. The U.S. EPA set a goal of reducing food waste disposed by 50% by 2030. Using a 2010 baseline estimate of 219 pounds per person (post-processing), that means a goal of disposing 109 pounds per person. The U.S. is far from reaching its 2030 food waste goal.

Individual contribution (average)

Surplus food is “All food that goes unsold or unused by a business or that goes uneaten at home – including food and inedible parts (e.g., peels, pits, bones) that are donated, fed to animals, repurposed to produce other products, composted, anaerobically digested, or wasted.” (ReFED, Insights Engine Glossary, p.1).

Surplus food

Surplus food is “All food that goes unsold or unused by a business or that goes uneaten at home – including food and inedible parts (e.g., peels, pits, bones) that are donated, fed to animals, repurposed to produce other products, composted, anaerobically digested, or wasted.” (ReFED, Insights Engine Glossary, p.1).

On the consumer level, individuals in the U.S. throw out nearly 25% of the food they bring into their homes. This amounts to a whopping 20 pounds of edible food wasted every single month

Food waste equivalences

While at first sight, this might seem neglibile at an individual level, figures per household and nationwide tell us otherwise: The costs of food waste are very high in terms of money and weight

Environmental impacts of food waste

Food waste has considerable impacts on the environment in terms of carbon and water footprint.

Carbon footprint: definition and units

Water footprint: definition and units

How is surplus food managed?

There are three different primary management pathways for surplus food:

1. Donated to food banks or otherwise “rescued”
2. Recycled such as through composting, feed for animals, anaerobic digestion, or industrial use
3. Wasted food is “Uneaten food and inedible parts that end up being landfilled, incinerated, disposed of down the sewer, dumped, spread onto land, or simply not harvested.” (ReFED, Insights Engine Glossary, p.2)

Where is wasted food going to?

More than half of the food waste goes to Landfills. A notable difference from Delaware is that food is the lack of incineration.

How is surplus food managed? (Another option)

NOTE: This is a combination of the two previous slides. I particularly think this one is better.

There are three different primary management pathways for surplus food:

1. Donated to food banks or otherwise “rescued”
2. Recycled such as through composting, feed for animals, anaerobic digestion, or industrial use
3. Wasted food is “Uneaten food and inedible parts that end up being landfilled, incinerated, disposed of down the sewer, dumped, spread onto land, or simply not harvested.” (Source: ReFED, Insights Engine Glossary, p.2)

Food in landfills

Food waste is the number one material in American landfills, accounting for 24.1 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW), according to the EPA.

MSW, in turn, accounts for a 21.6% (63.13 million tons) of landfills in the US and 21.06% (154,255 tons) for Delaware.

Landfill and Emissions

As food rots in a landfill, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 28 to 36 times more potent than the carbon that comes out of passenger vehicles and accelerates climate change. The greenhouse gases that result from food waste produce the equivalent amount of 37 million cars

Landfills are the third-largest industrial emitter of methane, with food waste alone representing 8 percent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (Source: Rubincon).

In 2007, the global carbon footprint, excluding land-use change, of food waste has been estimated at 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 eq. This amount is more than twice the total GHG emissions of all USA road transportation in 2010 (Source: FAO).

Landfills and leaks

All landfills leak – some over time and some from day one of operation – leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply (source)

Landfills: wrap-up

While it is possible to offset the harm derived from foodwaste in landfills through organics recycling, composting, and anaerobic digestion, the best way to reduce these emissions and leaks is to waste less food in the first place.

Alternative scenarios

What can we do as consumers to reduce food waste and its impacts?

Increased use of in-sink grinders - i.e., garbage disposals:

These products grind up food waste on-site, and when combined with running water, is disposed down the sewer drain for treatment at the wastewater treatment plant. This option can be useful where areas have excess wastewater treatment capacity, as is the case in Wilmington, DE.

• A pilot study in Philadelphia found that household food waste sent to the landfill dropped 35% after targeted use of grinders.
• Limitation: grinders should not be used with all food wastes- i.e., high fat animal products - meat, dairy; some vegetable products like onion skins and potato peels.
• If the grinder waste is used with co-digestion at the wastewater treatment plant: ReFed estimates that this pathway could divert 8,130 tons of food waste in Delaware with a net financial benefit of $189,000 and a savings of 2,750 metric tons CO2e each year. No water savings are expected from this option.

Switching to meal kits:

In this instance, the consumer purchases pre-packaged meal kits that have precise quantities of products needed to prepare meals, avoiding excess food that may spoil. Grocery retailers and other businesses are increasingly marketing meal kits, expanding consumer choice.

⇒ Expansion of this pathway could divert 5,600 tons of food waste in Delaware with a net financial benefit of $21 million and a savings of 25,400 metric tons CO2e and 1.25 billion gallons of water each year.

Home composting:

This option is commonly promoted as a way for households to reduce the food waste headed to the landfill and to produce a usable by-product (compost). As with in-site grinders, not all materials are appropriate for composting (i.e., meats and seafood can generate odors and attract wildlife). Additionally, food waste should be mixed with other organic materials such as paper, cardboard, or yard trimmings, to ensure the proper mix for complete biological breakdown of the waste.

⇒ Expansion of this option throughout the state could divert 297 tons of food waste from the landfill, with a net financial benefit of $15,500 and a savings of 147 metric tons of CO2e each year. No water savings are expected.

[the best option statewide to reduce food waste in tonnage and savings ($, energy, water) is to reduce portion sizes in restaurants, institutions, grocery stores, etc. – but consumers are passive in those decisions]