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
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