Dive Brief:
- According to research conducted by BioCycle, a national composting publication, 198 municipalities across the nation offer residential food waste collections.
- The number is up about 8.2% compared to 2012 figures (BioCycle pegs the figure as "almost 9 percent"), when it was reported that 183 cities made curbside organics collections available to residents.
- The largest segment of the population that recycles resides in the Western region of the U.S., and of the approximately 2.74 million households that recycle, nearly half are in California.
Dive Insight:
Other states where food recycling is faring well include Texas, New York, and Ohio. In these states, approximately 200,000 households are regularly recycling organics through curbside collection programs. Food waste collection is offered to a significant amount of residential customers in Oregon and Washington.
The U.S. diverts less than 5% of food waste generated by residents. Advocates conclude that finding solutions to divert food scraps could boost stagnating diversion rates across the U.S.
