Diverting food waste from landfills to recycling could dramatically offset emissions

Pressures such as population growth, urbanization, and land degradation are straining the global agrifood system, the network connecting all steps of the food supply chain from growing crops in the field to waste elimination or disposal. In turn, the system is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, highlighting an urgent need for a transformative change.

The results provide compelling evidence that recycling food waste using these methods can dramatically reduce GHG emissions compared with landfill disposal. The United States, the European Union, and China ”have large agrifood systems, produce enormous amounts of food waste, are major contributors to GHG emissions and use of natural resources, and have substantial amounts of data available,” write the authors.

For example, the study finds that more than 5% of China’s total crop land currently devoted to maize and soybean production could be spared when suitable food waste destined for the landfill is recycled through refeeding. ”This spared land could be used for producing human food to enhance food security or for taking land out of production for conservation purposes,” the authors write. The study concludes that ”food waste composting, anaerobic digestion, and repurposing to animal feed are all practical and viable options that are field-proven, low cost, and highly effective in mitigating emissions with multiple resource conservation benefits.”

Source: Eurek Alert!