Dive Brief:

• According to research led by Elsa Youngsteadt and published in Global Change Biology, insects are a key component in urban waste reduction before the trash is hauled off by sanitation workers. 
• Scientific studies point to bugs such as millipedes, ants, spiders and the beloved cockroach as heroes in the fight against food waste. Researchers determined the bugs were an integral factor in diverting waste from landfills due to their voracious appetites.
• It was determined that insects eat 34% of waste tossed into bins. When animals were added to the mix, 80% of organic waste was eliminated before the waste workers collected the bins.

Dive Insight:

The experiment shows that if insects were unleashed on New York City, 60,000 hot dogs would be consumed by bugs within a 150 block radius. That’s 2,100 pounds of food per year.

Strikingly, the scientists also found that ants on asphalt and grassy medians ate 2-3 times more than ants whose territory was the lush park. The researcher concluded that different surfaces in urban areas are important for a healthy ecosystem.