Anthropocene Magazine · Climate & nature

Recycling food waste has a huge climate upside and a surprising downside.

A new study in Nature Food highlights the significant climate benefits of recycling food waste in the US, but also warns of a potential microplastic pollution problem. While diverting food waste from landfills to create biogas and compost can drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient pollution, it risks introducing substantial amounts of plastic into agricultural soils.

If all food waste in the US were recycled into biogas and compost, it could nearly eliminate its climate impact. However, this process could also lead to a widespread microplastic issue. Researchers from the University of Vermont, inspired by local recycling laws, conducted a lifecycle analysis comparing food waste recycling with landfilling.

The study found that recycling food waste could reduce its climate burden by 89-99% in the US. It also significantly cuts nitrogen pollution (49-54%) and phosphorus loading (78-98%) compared to landfilling.

The primary concern is the estimated 20,000 additional tons of plastic pollution that would be incorporated into soils annually through compost and organic byproducts from anaerobic digestion. This plastic originates from food packaging, which is difficult to completely remove.

Challenges in separating plastic from food waste, even with advanced commercial equipment, can lead to industrial-scale plastic contamination. The researchers suggest that designing packaging with biodegradable materials could reduce plastic accumulation in soils by up to 99%.

However, biodegradable materials have their own challenges. An alternative proposed is reducing single-use packaging overall, a solution that requires broader systemic changes.

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