304 biogas plants convert food into energy: American Biogas Council (ABC)

The American Biogas Council (ABC) has released new data highlighting the growth of biogas systems that convert food waste into energy.

As of this month, 304 biogas systems in the U.S. convert food waste into renewable energy, a 19% increase over the past five years. The ABC reports that 118 of these facilities recycle food waste only, handling over 10 million tons of pre- and post-consumer inedible scraps each year.

Wastewater treatment plants and farm-based biogas systems also recycle some discarded food. The ABC counts 124 wastewater plants in the U.S. that combine food waste with wastewater solids to generate energy, recycling an additional 1.1 million tons of wasted food each year. In addition, 62 farms anaerobically digest food waste in combination with animal manure, putting another 1.7 million tons of food scraps to good use.

In total, every year, these facilities recycle 12.8 million tons of food scraps and other organic waste into over 35 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of biogas a year, enough to cover the year-long energy use of 283,000 U.S. households.

“The U.S. still overlooks the enormous value in food processing scraps and inedible food,” said ABC Executive Director Patrick Serfass. “Biogas facilities can convert this waste into enough home-grown energy to supply the needs of millions of Americans, while creating jobs and catalyzing new, local investments. We hope more municipalities and industrial food processors will choose to invest in biogas systems to recycle their resources locally.”

Looking into the future, if three-quarters of the discarded food from homes, grocers, restaurants, and food processors were recycled in biogas systems, we could turn that wasted material into 115 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of biogas per year, equivalent to the energy needs of nearly one million U.S households.

ABC held that on Thanksgiving Day alone, Americans would throw away about 160,000 tons of food scraps, representing $550 million worth of food tossed in a single day, according to the non-profit ReFED. Each year, American households throw away about 26 million tons of food, while food processors, grocers, and restaurants produce an additional 30 million tons of food waste.

While prevention remains the best strategy to reduce wasted food, biogas systems help ensure the food that still gets discarded is used productively. These systems capture the energy from surplus food and other organic material (like manure and wastewater solids) as they break down. Biogas facilities use anaerobic digestion to recycle waste into energy that can be used to power and heat homes, fuel vehicles, or generate electricity through engines and fuel cells.

While considerable potential remains, the biogas sector is expected to continue to expand to transform discarded food into valuable energy, showing a practical way to reduce waste and support home-grown renewable power.