By The Associated Press, Via News Tribune.

An eastern Iowa city is working to become the first in the state to convert food waste from restaurants, groceries and homes into renewable fuel for vehicles.

Muscatine Water Pollution Control Director Jon Koch has been working to implement a system in the city since 2012, the Muscatine Journal reported.

Koch said many locations in Europe, California and New York have switched to compressed natural gas to help with full landfills and high gas prices. About 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to a landfill.

"Heinz estimates it puts about 10 to 15 tons of waste a day into the landfill, and that's mostly packaged material," Koch said. "But all that ketchup and material is perfect to make gas in our digesters."