America has a bad habit. About 40% of food purchased ends up in the trash each year, but in some cities, they have found a way to turn this waste into energy. As food decomposes, it release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that’s fueling climate change. What cities are doing is diverting that food waste from the landfill to wastewater treatment plants where it can be converted into fertilizer products and biogas that can power the treatment plants. Most food waste comes through in-sink disposal systems, so in Philadelphia, they are funneling that waste directly to the waste resource recover facility, which is saving the city about $3 million a year in trucking costs. Converting waste into energy certainly is a good way to make something out of nothing, but it will take a lot more on the consumer side to successfully curb food waste.
Turning Americans’ bad food waste habit into renewable energy
More of Today's Solutions
A 58-day protest campaign just convinced Etsy to ban fur
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade did not simply write a letter. For 58 days, CAFT ran ...
Read MoreWhy your wandering mind is exactly what meditation is for
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people who try meditation for the first time expect their mind to go quiet. Instead, it does ...
Read MoreFive steps for making your clothes last as long as possible
The clothes we wear can make us feel confident and help us express our inner selves. Unfortunately, our culture of fast fashion produces these ...
Read MoreHere’s why grapes are good for your gut
The health benefits of grapes Grapes are the perfect, portable healthy snack to eat. Enclosed in their bite-size shells, they are a widely popular ...
Read More
