Wastewater Plants Could Handle Food Waste, Reducing Emissions

Research finds wastewater treatment facilities can process food waste, turning it into energy and fertilizer instead of sending it to landfills.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 5:40pm

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Every year, about 97 million metric tons of food waste are discarded in the U.S., with 37 million metric tons ending up in landfills. This organic material breaks down anaerobically in landfills, releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. However, research has found that wastewater treatment plants could handle this food waste instead, processing it through their existing systems to generate renewable energy and fertilizer, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfills.

Why it matters

Landfills are not designed to properly handle food waste, which leads to the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By diverting food waste to wastewater treatment plants, communities can turn this waste into useful resources while dramatically reducing their environmental impact.

The details

The researchers examined data from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant that already processes food waste along with sewage. They found that sending food waste to a conventional wastewater plant results in net-negative greenhouse gas emissions of -0.03 kg CO2e per ton, compared to 58.2 kg CO2e per ton for landfills. An advanced treatment plant achieved even greater net-negative emissions of -0.19 kg CO2e per ton. The plants capture biogas to generate renewable electricity and recover nutrients that can be used as fertilizer, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

  • The research was conducted in 2026.

The players

Ahmed Ibrahim Yunus

A Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and co-author of the research.

Joe Frank Bozeman III

An assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology and co-author of the research.

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What they’re saying

“Our evidence suggests these facilities could, in fact, handle food waste in ways that are environmentally beneficial and economically realistic.”

— Ahmed Ibrahim Yunus, Ph.D. candidate (The Conversation)

What’s next

The researchers note that not every wastewater treatment plant is immediately ready to accept food waste, as smaller operations would likely require new or upgraded equipment. However, the core systems already exist to transform food waste into recoverable resources.

The takeaway

By diverting food waste from landfills to wastewater treatment plants, communities can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy and fertilizer from what was previously considered waste.