WHAT IS FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT?

Food waste management involves strategies to “reduce, recover, and recycle” food that would otherwise be discarded. It includes :  

• Prevention (e.g., better inventory tracking, portion control)   

• Donation (surplus food to food banks)   

• Animal Feed (diverting scraps to livestock)   

• Composting (turning organic waste into soil fertilizer)   

• Anaerobic Digestion (converting waste to biogas)

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What is Composting?  

Composting is the natural breakdown of organic waste (food scraps, yard trimmings) into nutrient-rich soil conditioner through microbial activity. Methods include :  

• Home Composting (backyard piles, vermicomposting, Bokashi)   

• Commercial Composting (large-scale windrows, in-vessel systems)   

 

KEY BENEFITS :

1. Environmental  

   - Reduces landfill methane emissions (28x more potent than CO₂)   

   - Cuts GHG emissions (8–10% of global emissions come from food waste)   

   - Improves soil health (increases water retention, reduces synthetic fertilizer use)   

 

1. Economic  

   - Saves costs for businesses (e.g., restaurants can reduce food spend by 8–12%)   

   - Lowers waste disposal fees   

 

1. Social 

   - Supports food security (diverting edible surplus to hunger relief)   

   - Creates jobs in recycling and composting sectors