Food WasteNational Success Stories

Chris NewmanUS EPA Region 5Chicago, IL

Agenda

• Overview• Food waste hierarchy• Programs across the nation • Past Region 5 grants

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Resource Conservation Challenge

• The RCC’s goal is to conserve resources and energy by managing materials more efficiently– Goal is to recycle 35% of America’s MSW– Organic wastes are included in this

• Working to:– Reduce food waste generation– Provide information about why recycling is more

efficient than disposal– Support markets for organic wastes

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The Numbers• Over twenty five percent of the

food in the United States is lost• Approximately 97 billion

pounds of food—about 3,000 pounds per second—is wasted in the US each year

• Food waste is the third largest component of the waste stream by weight

• Food scraps make up almost 12 percent of all the MSW generated in the United States

• Less than 3 percent of food waste is recovered.

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The Numbers• The impact:

– Food waste losses account for up to $100 billion per year; • $30-40 billion occurring within the commercial or retail sector

(e.g., restaurants, convenience stores) • $20 billion from farming and food processing.

– The energy used to produce wasted food is 2% of the total US energy use

– The decomposition of food in landfills produces methane• Methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.• Landfills are the second largest human-related source of

methane in the United States• Landfills accounts for 20% of all methane emissions.

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The Numbers• Food waste is uneaten

food and food preparation scraps from:– Residences or households– Commercial

establishments like restaurants

– Institutional sources like school cafeterias

– Industrial sources like factory lunchrooms

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Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy

• Promotes productive use of excess food– Source Reduction – Reduce

the volume of food waste generated

– Feed People – Donate extra food to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters

– Feed Animals – Provide food to farmers

– Industrial Uses – Provide fats for rendering and food discards for animal feed production, or anaerobic digestion combined with soil amendment production or composting of the residuals

– Composting – Convert food scraps into a nutrient rich soil amendment

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Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy

• Source Reduction– Conduct a waste audit– Reduce pre-consumer kitchen waste

• 4% to 10% is wasted before it reaches the guest, ie. spoiled, expired, trim waste

– Reduce post-consumer waste• Portion control, trayless dining, menu modification

– Resouce: • Don't Throw Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Se

tting Waste Reduction • Putting Surplus Food to Good Use: A How-To Guide for

Food Service Providers

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Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy

• Feed hungry people– 49 million Americans at risk

for hunger– Non-perishable and

unspoiled perishable food can be donated

• Food banks – warehousing

• Food rescue – recovery and distribution of perishable and prepared food

– Tax benefits – Protection from liability

• Food donation act• Food bank quality control www.win4hunger.org

www.feedingamerica.org

www.foodrescue.net

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Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy

• Feed animals– A variety of foods can be used– Meat or animal material must be boiled at

a registered facility– State reg’s may apply

• Industrial uses– Rendering of meats and fats– FOGS to energy

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Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy

• Composting– Aerated Windrow/Pile– In-vessel– Unaerated static pile– Vermicomposting– Anaerobic digestion

• Interest is increasing• Improves compost recipe• Increases anaerobic

digestion gas production

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Food Waste Management Cost Calculator

• Calculator estimates the cost competitiveness of alternatives to food waste disposal– Source reduction, donation,

composting, and recycling of yellow grease.

• Develops an alternative food waste management scenario based on: – Your waste profile– Availability of diversion methods– Preferences

• Compares cost estimates for a disposal versus an alternative scenario.

• Demonstrates that environmentally and socially responsible food waste management is cost-effective for many facilities and waste streams.

• Good information about current waste management costs improve accuracy – Default values are provided

Available at:http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/organics/food/tools/index.htmWebinar presentations at:http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/solidwaste/recycle/compost/

WARM Results

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• Waste Reduction Model (WARM) helps track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices. www.epa.gov/warm

• WARM calculates and totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management

• Results below are from 44 Kroger stores from 7/2008 to 10/2010

CoEATCoEAT - Co-Digestion Economic Analysis Tool • Initial economic feasibility

of food waste co-digestion at wastewater treatment plants for biogas production.– Fixed and recurring costs – Solid waste diversion

savings – Capital investments – Biogas production and

associated energy value

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East Bay Municipal Utility District

• Wastewater Treatment Facility in San Francisco – Digester has excess capacity

• Receiving less waste water• Decrease in industry• Increase in pretreatment

– Found food waste has 3X methane generation potential of muni wastewater

– Digesting 100tpd, 5d/week generated enough energy to power 1,000 homes

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Outpost Foods, Wisconsin• Outpost Foods – Milwaukee, WI

– Goal to look at landfill alternatives– Looked at alternatives using food waste disposers

• Reduced food waste sent to landfills by sending it to anaerobic digesters

– Sewer and pumper truck were used to transport the waste– With methane value added, they saw that adding the to slurry the

digester was the most cost efficient – Without the methane value land filling was the most expensive,

followed by slurry hauling and the sewer disposal– Getting the water content of the slurry low enough was seen as a

way to improve the technique – http://www.wastecapwi.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Final-

Report-Outpost-Natural-Foods-Project-FINAL-3-9-2010.pdf

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High Solids Digestion

• There is interest in high solids digestion– 55% to 70% moisture– Leachate recirculation– Produces methane from the

decomposition of organics, just with less water

• Some systems are being built resembling landfill cells

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Programs Across the US• San Francisco

– San Francisco has a 75% city wide recycling goal

– Over 2,000 businesses are participating– System handles:

• Animal• Vegetable• Soiled paper products

– Manages over 300 tons of biodegradable waste a day

– Ordinance requires participation of food service industry

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Programs Across the US• Massachusetts supermarket composting

– Running for several years– Helps deal with high waste management costs– Program provides certification/support materials

• Numbers– 54 stores were generating approx 54,000 tons of

waste/year• 2/3’s was being recycled – 26k tons cardboard and 9k tons of

organics to composting facilities– Incentive – local waste disposal fees of $80-$100/ton– 200 stores were diverting organics to reuse and recycling

• Savings were $3k to $20k/year• Nationally interest is increasing

– Walmart has rolled out food waste management nationally– Kroger, Giant Eagle, and others are also composting in

their stores

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Programs Across the US• Ohio EPA is working to

reduce waste and increase recycling at supermarkets– Ohio regulations are

relatively clear– Allow for a variety of

materials to be composted• Bringing together

stakeholders from:– Supermarkets– Waste industry– Composting industry

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Ohio Mapping Project• Ohio EPA and US EPA

project.• Interactive mapping of

food waste composting facilities and food waste generators

– Grocery stores, venues and universities, plus landfills and transfer stations.

• Users can zoom in to look at a particular area

– Compost sites (green stars), and relate this to generators (white and yellow grocery carts) and landfills and transfer stations (purple dots and triangles).

– Uses data in the database and Google Earth, particularly for generators such as restaurants and hotels.

• Project helps generators find composters that can compost their food scraps, or help composters and haulers identify potential sources of material for composting.

• www.epa.state.oh.us/ocapp/food_scrap/food_scrap.aspx

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Past Food Waste Grants• Michigan Recycling Coalition

– Region 5 funded a revision to their compost operator training manual to include food waste

– Insights:• Food waste composting should be considered as part

of the waste management contract, not as an add on• The compost industry must be the advocate for the

program, i.e. policy, programs, and outreach• http://www.michiganrecycles.org/index.php?option=

com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=8

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Past Food Waste Grants• Ohio DNR

– Started looking at food waste diversion in northern Ohio• Looked at who and how networks can be setup to

manage food waste.• Economics provided a challenge, landfilling is $40-

$50/ton• Efficiencies seen as key to success

– Collecting multiple materials– Sensible routes

• Who receives the tipping fees from landfilling could be a disincentive for programs to start

• Generators need close relationships with the composter

– This could change the traditional contracting relationship

Past Food Waste GrantsEcoconservation Institute:• In-depth research of leading

food waste programs in North America

• Develop tool kit for food collection technology transfer– BMPs– Information rate setting– Collection methods– Pitfalls to avoid

• Outreach– Webinars, presentations,

outreach on the toolkit• More information on federal

grants: www.grants.gov

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Total programs by state

Program Type/Availability

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Residential Management• Backyard composting

– Good option for self management of organics

– Provides homeowner with compost

– Comparison of costs and participation rates of home composting vs. collection

• Vermicomposting– Can be done in a small

space– Can be done inside

Compost Markets

Stormwater BMPs• Compost berms, blankets &

socks can be used to manage stormwater– Retains water– Support seed germination and

plant growth– Can remove pollutants such

as heavy metals; nitrogen; phosphorus; oil and grease; and fuel, from stormwater,

• http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/solidwaste/recycle/compost/webinars.html

• http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/solidwaste/recycle/compost/roundtable.htm

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Regulation in Illinois• Regulation and Permits

– Illinois EPA has the authority to:• Set regulations• Give siting responsibility to local governments

– Contacts are:Derek RompotBureau of LandIllinois EPA217-524-3262derek.rompot@illinois.gov

Mary RiegleBureau of LandIllinois EPA217-524-3329mary.riegle@illinois.gov

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Remarks• Food scraps are managed successfully in

many parts of the US• We are seeing lots of innovation • At this point systems are set up to best fit:

– Needs of the local market– Requirements of regulations

• All involved in waste management should be at the table when planning

• Keep an open mind when planning, look at all of the options

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Contact Information

Chris NewmanUS EPA Region 5312-353-8402

newman.christopherm@epa.gov

www.epa.gov/foodscraps