In 2010, 31 percent of the entire US food supply – 133 billion pounds of food – went uneaten. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the wasted food totaled $161.6 billion and about 141 trillion calories.1 These numbers are huge – so huge that food accounts for a fifth of America’s garbage — significantly more than plastic, paper, metal, or glass.2 Food is the second largest contributor to landfills in America and the decomposition of this organic waste produces a substantial fraction of our country’s methane emissions. This isn’t just a problem in the United States: about a third of the food produced worldwide goes uneaten. Considering one in nine people in the world don’t have enough to eat, the numbers on wasted food are almost unfathomable.
However, the news isn’t all bad. USDA food economists say that interest in the problem of food waste is increasing for three main reasons. First, people are becoming more aware of the costs involved in wasting food – not just money, but resources like water and energy as well. Second, the connection between food in landfills and greenhouse gas emissions is a growing concern. Third, people are finally beginning to realize that the increasingly high numbers of wasted food are shameful when so many people go hungry.3 We already produce enough food to feed every person on Earth, but there is a clear problem with the way we use and distribute food. In fact, wasting less food could reduce food prices worldwide. We have every incentive to stop throwing it away.
And there are programs underway. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has commensed a program called the Food Recovery Challenge, which has already diverted at least 370,000 tons of wasted food from landfills.4 More than 36,000 tons of that food was donated, providing about 56 million meals for the hungry. Last month, the EPA announced 23 awards for outstanding participants in the program, including three that were given to Chicago’s own McCormick Place.
It’s no secret that sports stadiums produce huge amounts of food waste between concessionaires and tailgating, so getting venues to participate in composting and recycling programs is a great way to minimize food waste. By donating or composting unused food, making sure there are recycling bins next to every trash can, sorting trash, and deploying teams of employees or volunteers to pick up recycling in parking lots and stadium seating after events, venues can significantly decrease their landfill-bound food waste.
Ohio State University’s Zero Waste program, now in its third year, is a sterling example of how stadiums can successfully divert 90 percent or more of their waste to recycling or composting.5 The university has achieved rates as high as 98.5 percent waste diversion by purchasing compostable or recyclable products, posting volunteers at waste receptacles to help fans figure out what can be recycled or composted, and sorting through trash after games to cut down on contamination.
Further, Ohio State formed a partnership with the NFL Cleveland Browns, Quasar Energy Group, InSinkERator, and Dairy Management Inc. to help the Browns take a bold step toward their goal of diverting FirstEnergy Stadium’s food waste from landfills.6 Now, with an anaerobic digester on OSU’s campus, 35 tons of food waste will be diverted from landfills, eliminating 28,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually — generating enough natural gas to heat 32 homes for a month, enough electricity to power a single-family home for over a year, and enough nutrients to fertilize nearly four acres of crops.
Goldstein, Nora. From http://www.biocycle.net/2013/09/23/why-is-a-real-estate-giant-bullish-on-ad/
What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic digestion is a process by which microorganisms break down organic waste, including food scraps, sewage sludge, livestock manure, fats, oils, and grease.7 Part of this waste is converted into methane or biogas, which can be combusted to generate electricity and heat or processed into transportation fuels. The rest is converted into nutrient-rich liquid and solid fertilizer.
American Biogas Council. From http://www.americanbiogascouncil.org/biogas_what.asp
The Plant, Chicago
How does anaerobic digestion fit into Chicago? One digester already exists in the city. Its home is The Plant, a self-sustaining vertical farm located in a renovated meatpacking warehouse in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.8 It’s called a vertical farm because farming occurs in multiple stories of the building, from an underground aquaponics system (growing vegetables, shrimp, and fish) to a rooftop greenhouse. Once completed, the facility will be powered and heated entirely by digester-generated methane from food scraps from neighboring businesses.
The Plant. From http://www.plantchicago.com/about/faq
The organic waste produced by US Cellular Field, Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, and the United Center is tremendous. Concessions scraps, yard waste from landscaping, oil from deep fryers, and municipal wastewater solids can all be eaten alike by an anaerobic digester. Partnering with the Plant or installing another digester would be a great step to reduce and reuse food waste.
Ultimately, food waste is produced at every stage of food production, distribution, and consumption: producers, retailers, distributors, and consumers all contribute to the problem. On the flipside, this means we can all be a part of the solution. Hopefully, as food waste gains recognition as a global issue, programs like the EPA’s, Ohio State’s, and the Plant’s will become the norm rather than the exception.
[1] Jean C. Buzby, Hodan Farah Wells, Jeffrey Hyman, “The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States.” United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, February 2014. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1282296/eib121.pdf
[2] Roberto A. Ferdman, “Americans throw out more food than plastic, paper, metal, and glass.” The Washington Post, September 23 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/23/americans-throw-out-more-food-than-plastic-paper-metal-or-glass/
[3] Eliza Barclay, “U.S. Lets 141 Trillion Calories of Food Go To Waste Each Year.” NPR, February 27 2014. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/27/283071610/u-s-lets-141-trillion-calories-of-food-go-to-waste-each-year
[4] “EPA Recognizes Outstanding Food Recovery Challenge and WasteWise Program Participants.” US EPA, January 28 2015. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/9816D3C528ECDB9B85257DDB006163F8
[5] Jayne Gest, “Ohio State’s Zero Waste is setting a new standard for stadium recycling.” Smart Business Online, September 3 2014. http://www.sbnonline.com/article/ohio-state-recycling-zero-waste/
[6] “Cleveland Browns Begin Initiative to Convert Food Waste Into Energy.” 2015. Renewable Energy From Waste. Accessed January 31. http://www.rewmag.com/firstenergy-stadium-browns-quasar-forest-city-anaerobic-digestion.aspx.
[7] US EPA, OSWER. 2015. “Resource Conservation – Anaerobic Digestion.” Collections & Lists. Accessed January 31. http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/fd-anaerobic.htm.
[8] “FAQ.” 2015. The Plant. Accessed January 31. http://www.plantchicago.com/about/faq/.