The 7 Benefits Of Recycling Food Waste
What are the benefits of recycling food waste? Food waste in the US is an epidemic. Consumers and shareholders alike are paying a lot of attention to the companies that are working to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Cities and states are even going as far as to pass legislation banning food waste, and with carbon emission reduction goals looming, regulations banning wasted food from the landfill will quickly becoming the rule instead of the exception.
As restaurant chains, grocers, or hotels across the united states seek to implement a food waste recycling program the benefits to reduce your food waste have social, environmental, and financial implications. The 7 Benefits of recycling food waste:
- Setting up a food donation program helps support your local communities and provide nutritious food to food insecure households.
- According to Feeding America, 48.1 million Americans, of which 15.3 million were children, lived in food insecure households in 2014
- Being involved in a charitable program like food donation builds pride in your organization throughout the company.
- An estimated 141 trillion calories worth of food is wasted in the U.S. each year. Based on a recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories, 530,136 people could be fed for an entire year on food wasted in the U.S. Employees like knowing that what they are doing is making a difference.
- Reducing food waste saves water.
- An estimated 25 percent of the total freshwater used in agriculture in the U.S. is attributed to the production of food waste. Also wasted are the 300 million barrels of oil used in the farming and manufacturing of food, which will inevitably become waste.
- Reducing food waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- According to the EPA, 34 percent of methane emissions in the U.S. are attributed to landfills. Additionally, the environment suffers from the resulting greenhouse gas emissions of farming and transporting organic materials – only to be transported once again to the landfill.
- Save Money. If you’re wasting less, you’re spending less. Waste costs money, no matter how you look at it.
- Whatever steps you take to reduce your waste will always equal money saved at the end of the day. This not only means less wasted product; it means emptier dumpsters. In many cases, successful food recycling programs can be implemented cost-neutrally, because any costs of recycling or donating are offset by the savings in removing regular waste.
- The U.S. EPA even has a ‘Food Waste Management Cost Calculator’ which helps users, estimate the cost competitiveness of alternatives to food waste disposal, including source reduction, donation, composting, and recycling of yellow grease.
- Benefits from Tax credits are available for food donations.
- Food donation programs are also covered by “Good Samaritan Laws” so you’re covered from any liability.
- Comply with recently implemented local, city or state food waste landfill bans regulations.
- Compliance is becoming an issue in cities and states where food waste has effectively been outlawed. In cities with mandatory composting or recycling ordinances, the fines associated with noncompliance can be staggering. Avoiding these fines saves your organization money and time.
Recycling food waste offers numerous social, environmental and financial benefits.
Quest Resource Management Group develops comprehensive food recycling programs to help companies across the U.S. divert millions of tons of food waste from landfills.
We do this for grocers, restaurants, and food manufacturers alike, so no matter where you fit into the supply chain, Quest can help you reduce food waste.