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U.S. gets serious about composting but plans lack critical protections

02 February 2024

Three federal agencies are working together to help reduce food waste and increase composting. But their plans don't include key environmental and public health protections.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration developed a Draft National Strategy to guide federal action in reducing food waste and increasing food waste recycling.

The strategies, investments, and tools described in the Draft National Strategy are essential to transitioning away from the status quo of landfilling and incinerating food waste to a system of capturing, using, and recycling this valuable resource. However, the Draft National Strategy lacks key protections to ensure that U.S. food waste recycling programs are safe, non-toxic, and protective of public health and the environment.

“It’s critical that the U.S. develops strong composting programs. Keeping food and other organic waste out of landfills and incinerators and using them to make clean, carbon-capturing fertilizers is one of our best options for slowing and reversing climate damage. But we can’t make the same mistakes we made with traditional recycling. We need these agencies to crack down on dirty practices that undermine the benefits of composting and create more pollution.”

Kirstie Pecci, Executive Director, Just Zero

That’s why Just Zero and eight other groups called on federal agencies today to develop key protections that ensure America’s composting systems benefit the environment, not contaminate it. This includes banning the co-digestion of sewage sludge and food waste – a practice that is becoming common in cities rolling out food waste diversion programs, like New York City.

Sewage sludge is known to contain significantly high levels of toxics like PFAS and microplastics. When food is mixed with sludge, we lose the value it has as compost and instead, are left with a hazardous mixture. Despite being heavily contaminated, this mixture is often used as a fertilizer for farmland, where it contributes to PFAS contamination in our soil and water.

"Every day we hear new stories about the devastating impacts PFAS contamination has on our environment and our health. We can’t continue to ignore the dangers of mixing toxic sludge with food waste and calling it composting. Land applying this toxic material exacerbates the PFAS crisis. Our federal agencies need to commit to only supporting, funding, and developing clean compost systems."

Kirstie Pecci, Executive Director, Just Zero

In 2021, Maine became the first state to ban the use of sewage sludge and sludge-derived materials as fertilizer or compost after statewide testing found extremely high levels of PFAS in areas where the material was routinely spread.

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