Food Waste Generation

in North Carolina

NC DENR DPPEA

How I calculated total food waste generated in NC:

• Gathered waste characterization studies– EPA– Georgia – Wisconsin– Orange County, NC– Rockingham County, NC

• Took an average for the pounds of food waste disposed per person per year

• Applied the average to NC’s population

Pounds per Capita in Waste Studies Used

0.530.50 0.49

0.88

0.27

0.53

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

1.00

EPA Georgia Wisconsin OrangeCounty, NC

RockinghamCounty, NC

AVERAGE

Food waste disposed in NC:

.53 pounds/person/day X 8,682,066 people

=

4,601,495 pounds/day

or

2301 tons/day

Food waste disposed in NC:

2301 tons/day X 365 days/year

=

839,865 tons/year

Food Recovery Operations

Brooks Contractor 3,485

McGill Env’tl Systems 6,308

Novozymes 200

Society of St. Andrew 4,581

Wallace Farms 28,800

TOTAL 43,374 tons

Food Waste Generation in NC

Total Disposed + Total Recovered = Total Generated

839,773 + 43,374 = 883,147 tons

Food Waste as a Percent of MSW

839,773 tons food disposed /

7,000,000 tons of MSW* in NC

=

12% of MSW is food waste

88%

12%

*Does not include C&D or industrial waste.