AHAM's Blog

Where Does Your Food Waste Go?

 

The average American family of four generates 36 pounds of food waste each week!  How you choose to dispose of this food waste can make a big impact on the environment.  Food waste that is taken to landfills decomposes and produces methane, an environmentally harmful greenhouse gas that is at least 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

A convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to dumping food waste in your trash can is to use your food waste disposer.  Watch the video above to see what happens to your food when it goes down the drain, and how it can be converted to renewable energy. 

Read more about the benefits of food waste disposers at AHAM.org.

 

Down the drain!

The average family of 4 produces about 2,000 lbs. of food scraps every year!  Where do these food scraps go? In many towns, food scraps are sent to landfills, where they decompose and create methane- a known greenhouse gas linked to climate change.  However, Milwaukee residents with food waste disposals are encouraged to put food scraps down the drain rather than in the trash.  

 

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s (MMSD) unique program to convert food scraps to fuel and fertilizer was captured by FOX 6 in Milwaukee.  Click here and watch “Food Scraps and Energy Savings.”

 

MMSD says that using a disposal allows food waste – which is 70% water – to be ground up and sent through pipes to MMSD’s wastewater treatment facility. This prevents food scraps from being trucked to landfills. MMSD captures the methane generated from food waste and turns it into energy, saving their customers nearly $2 million a year. They also use food waste to help feed microscopic organisms used in wastewater treatment that is later turn into a fertilizer called Milorganite.     

Sounds like a great idea!