Businesses across the food supply chain are increasingly diverting surplus food from landfills and transforming it into reusable or profitable resources, driven by both economic incentives and regulatory pressure. In California, this shift is largely influenced by SB 1383, which mandates a 75% reduction in organic waste sent to landfills by 2025 compared to 2014 levels. Although progress has been made, many businesses still struggle to meet this target due to a lack of alternative outlets for surplus food.

RE:CIRCLE, a company based in Ontario, California, is helping address this gap by collecting and processing pre-consumer food waste from retailers and food processors. The company removes packaging, sorts materials, and prioritizes higher-value recovery options such as animal feed and fertilizer, with remaining waste sent to anaerobic digestion for renewable energy production. Its AI-powered TraceOS platform gives clients real-time data on waste diversion, carbon reductions, and regulatory compliance. In its first year of operation, RE:CIRCLE processed 40,000 tons of surplus food and plans to scale its model to other locations. Other companies, such as Guckenheimer, have also demonstrated significant food waste reductions by combining technology, partnerships, and staff engagement.

These efforts show that food waste reduction can align sustainability with business strategy, but progress remains uneven. Many companies still rely on regulatory pressure to act, and limited infrastructure slows broader adoption. Expanding access to diversion solutions will be key to achieving long-term, large-scale reductions in food waste.

https://www.waste360.com/food-waste/which-companies-are-turning-food-waste-into-profit-how-and-why