Food Waste is a Massive Problem That is Not Going Away
Every year tens of millions of tons of food waste goes to landfills where it decays and produces methane, a climate super pollutant.
In the U.S., most efforts to reduce methane emissions have focused on reducing the massive quantities released into the atmosphere by the fossil fuel industry (i.e. fossil methane). But methane from biological sources like organic waste (i.e. biogenic methane) have not received sufficient attention despite making up a surprisingly large portion of the methane problem. In New York, for example, decomposing organic waste generates nearly triple the methane emitted by the oil and gas industry (including pipelines). Methane comprises a full 39% of New York’s total GHG emissions. And organic wastes account for 34% of the state’s methane emissions. In California, methane generated from the organic waste portion of municipal solid waste (i.e. garbage) decomposing in landfills represents 20% of California’s methane-related climate impact.