[ECO]Major Retailer Initiative for Commercial Food Waste Composting

[Eco 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Commercial food waste composting emerges as a viable solution to retail waste management while creating valuable consumer products.

A significant development in commercial food waste recycling emerged today as Denali announced

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, a new line of compost and potting soil products made entirely from commercial food waste compost – recycled grocery store waste. The products will be available nationwide in retail stores starting January 2025.

The initiative addresses a critical gap in America’s waste management infrastructure. Commercial food waste composting from grocery stores presents unique challenges compared to residential waste, primarily due to packaging and volume. Grocery stores typically generate between 72 to 80 billion pounds of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

annually in the United States, much of it still in original packaging that requires specialized processing.

According to EPA data, food comprises approximately 24 percent of municipal solid waste in U.S. landfills, making it one of the largest single components of our waste stream. This staggering volume of discarded food not only squanders valuable resources used in its production—including water, energy, labor, and farmland—but also creates serious environmental hazards.

Beyond taking up valuable landfill space, decomposing food produces methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping atmospheric heat over a 100-year *******. When food waste breaks down in the oxygen-poor environment of landfills, it generates this potent greenhouse gas at alarming rates, significantly contributing to climate change.

Commercial food waste contributes significantly to this problem, with grocery stores being one of the largest sources of preventable food waste. Supermarkets routinely discard perfectly edible food due to minor blemishes, approaching sell-by dates, or overstocked inventory. Each year, the average supermarket discards nearly 43,000 pounds of food, much of which is still safe for consumption.

This waste occurs at various points in the retail food chain: during transport, storage, and display, as well as through damaged packaging, overpurchasing, and strict aesthetic standards for produce. The financial impact is substantial—retailers lose approximately $18.2 billion annually from unsold food—but the environmental cost is even more significant, as this waste represents not only lost food but also wasted resources used in growing, processing, packaging, and transporting these products.

Environmental impact calculations reveal the substantial benefits of commercial food waste composting. Each cubic foot bag of composted material represents approximately 15 pounds of diverted food waste, which would have generated roughly 2.8 pounds of methane in a landfill environment. When scaled to national grocery store waste volumes, converting this waste to compost could reduce emissions by millions of metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually.

The technical challenges of commercial food waste composting differ significantly from traditional composting methods. Grocery store waste often contains mixed materials requiring sophisticated separation processes. Modern depackaging technology can now separate organic food waste from packaging materials with up to 97 percent efficiency, making large-scale composting commercially viable for the first time.

The composting process for commercial food waste involves several stages:

• Depackaging and sorting of materials
• Initial breakdown of organic matter
• Temperature-controlled decomposition
• Quality testing and screening
• Final product formulation for consumer use

Commercial food waste composting presents unique advantages for operations. Unlike residential food waste, it often arrives in predictable volumes and compositions, allowing for more efficient processing. Additionally, grocery store waste typically contains a diverse mix of organic materials, resulting in nutrient-rich final products.

The environmental benefits of commercial food waste composting extend beyond methane reduction. The composting process sequesters carbon in the soil, with each bag of processed compost storing approximately 3.5 pounds of carbon that would otherwise enter the atmosphere. Additionally, using food waste-derived compost reduces the need for peat-based products, helping preserve natural wetlands that serve as crucial carbon sinks.

Industry experts estimate that converting commercial food waste to compost could generate substantial economic benefits. Grocery stores currently spend between $750-$2,500 per ton to dispose of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Composting programs can reduce these costs while creating new revenue streams through product sales.

The implications for the retail industry are significant. Converting waste into saleable products represents a shift from a cost-center model to a potential profit center. Early adopters of commercial composting programs report

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

cost reductions of 20-45% while generating new revenue through finished product sales.

Denali’s ReCirculate program exemplifies this potential. In 2023, the company recycled 14 billion pounds of organic material, with food waste accounting for 1.7 billion pounds of that total. The products will be sold in one cubic foot bags through participating retail locations across the United States.

Beyond garden products, commercial food waste composting supports various applications, including agriculture, landscaping, and erosion control. This diversified approach to organic waste processing supports multiple sectors while advancing environmental sustainability goals.

The emergence of commercial food waste composting programs represents a significant advancement in sustainable waste management, transforming what was once considered garbage into valuable consumer products while addressing critical environmental challenges.

The post

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

appeared first on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up