International Day of Zero Waste: How Food Waste Solutions Can Get Us to a Zero Waste World

Zero Waste is a means of conserving resources through responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery. It is a philosophy that takes its cue from how nothing goes to waste in nature but instead is used as inputs for other processes, creating a cycle of reuse. Zero Waste Day recognises the importance of creating a zero-waste society by giving visibility to zero-waste initiatives.

The theme for Zero Waste Day 2026 is food waste of which we waste roughly 1 billion tonnes globally every year. Here in this blog, we’ll break down why food waste was chosen as this year’s theme, why food waste is such a big problem, how zero-waste principles apply to food waste, and Recorra’s food waste solutions.

Why is Food Waste the Theme for 2026’s Zero Waste Day?

Food waste emissions account for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 14% of global methane emissions. The silver lining to this dark cloud is that tackling food waste is one of the most readily achievable climate solutions which address multiple Sustainable Development Goals – the 17 interconnected goals adopted by the United Nations to ensure a sustainable world.

• Goal 2 Zero hunger: edible but unsold food can be donated to charities.
• Goal 3 Good health and wellbeing: a good diet is vital to maintaining health and wellbeing.
• Goal 7 Affordable and clean energy: food can be digested to create biofuel.
• Goal 11 Sustainable cities and communities: ensures a more sustainable food system.
• Goal 12 Responsible consumption and production: target 12.3 of the goal is to halve food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030.
• Goal 13 Climate action: reduces greenhouse gases.
• Goal 15 Life on land: less wasted food means less land needed to grow that food, freeing it up for ecosystem restoration.

The Global Food Waste Problem: Why It Matters for Businesses

Unfortunately, food waste is somewhat inevitable because of the difficulty judging appropriate portion sizes and changing demand around food products. This makes it essential for businesses to understand and monitor their food waste and its impact.

Financial Cost

Food waste is estimated to cost 1 trillion dollars globally on an annual basis. Because of its density and high-water content, food waste is heavier than many other waste types, so placing it in general waste bins can result in increased costs.

Placing food into general waste is also set to get even more expensive from 2028 onwards because of the inclusion of energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities within the revamped UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Today a lot of waste management companies and councils will send their waste to EfW facilities which charge by the tonne. This fee doesn’t account for the carbon produced by incinerating waste. Reports suggest that bringing EfW into the ETS will increase costs by 50% because of the carbon produced by EfW as facilities will increase their fees to count for the money they’ll pay emitting carbon.

Mandatory Food Waste Recycling

Moreover, post-March 2027, food waste recycling will be mandatory for all UK businesses (currently it’s only mandatory for businesses with over 10 employees). This reform, supported by WRAP and other environmental groups, was introduced as part of the Simpler Recycling reforms under the Environment Act 2021.

Environmental Impact

Food waste that ends up in landfill decomposes without oxygen, creating methane, which is 82% more potent than carbon; this makes reducing methane both a priority and low-hanging fruit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As consumers become more environmentally and ethically conscious, they increasingly favour businesses that actively consider and reduce their environmental impact.

How Zero Waste Principles Apply to Food Waste

Zero waste is built on designing out waste, keeping materials in circulation, and regenerating natural systems. Applied to food waste, zero waste focuses on reducing surplus food at the source, redistributing edible but unsold food, and recycling unavoidable scraps to create new resources.

Reduce

Food waste is inevitable due to portion misjudgement and unpredictable demand, especially in hospitality and retail. However, businesses can significantly reduce waste through operational improvements. 30% of mixed recycling which arrives at our material recovery facility is food waste or contaminated by food, underscoring the need for better reduction practices.

Zero waste reduction practices include:

• Menu planning and portion control to prevent overproduction.
• Tracking waste so businesses understand where and why food is being discarded.
• Improving forecasting based on demand patterns.
• Staff training to minimise contamination and ensure correct handling.

Reuse

While prevention is best, some surplus food is unavoidable. Recorra recommends redistributing edible surplus through partners such as FareShare and Plan Zheroes, keeping good food in the community and avoiding methane emissions from landfill.

By prioritising redistribution, businesses support zero hunger initiatives and strengthen local resilience, fully aligned with zero‑waste principles.

Recycle

When food waste cannot be reduced or reused, recycling ensures its nutrients remain in circulation. Food waste collected can be broken down by anaerobic digestion to produce biogas as a form of renewable energy and liquid fertiliser for agriculture.

Correct separation is crucial: contamination prevents recovery and increases emissions. Separate bins, visible signage, and staff awareness all ensure high‑quality recycling.
Zero‑waste practices are therefore realised through proper sorting, clean material streams, and choosing reliable collectors like Recorra that guarantee responsible processing.

Recorra’s Solutions for Food Waste and Zero Waste Practices

Recorra provides practical, circular solutions that directly support businesses aiming for zero waste.

Food Waste Recycling Collections

• Recorra’s Food Waste service is built around simple, effective separation:
• Businesses install dedicated food‑waste bins with correct signage.
• Recorra provides regular or ad‑hoc collections.
• Waste is sent to anaerobic digestion, producing biogas and liquid fertiliser.

These collections reduce contamination in mixed recycling and help businesses cut disposal costs, especially as food waste is heavy and general‑waste charges are weight‑based.

Coffee-grounds recycling

Coffee grounds recycling is one of Recorra’s most innovative services. It’s very important to separate spent coffee grounds from food waste because:

• Coffee grounds impede anaerobic digestion by sinking and forming sludge, reducing efficiency.
• When recycled separately, they can become high‑value products instead of a burden on food‑waste systems.

Recorra partners with specialist processors to upcycle coffee grounds into:

• Realizzato coffee liqueur, created by fermenting sugars extracted from spent grounds. Clients can even “close the loop” by purchasing the resulting product.
• Animal feed via Flybox, where grounds support black soldier fly production reducing reliance on soy feed linked to deforestation.
• Compost and eco‑fuel logs, in partnership with Envar.

Coffee grounds recycling is a prime example of zero waste in action: instead of downcycling, waste becomes a valuable input into new products.

Waste audits and consultancy

Recorra’s food‑waste guides emphasise that businesses must understand their waste to manage it effectively. Audits help identify:

• Reduction opportunities.
• Contamination hotspots.
• Savings from switching to separated food waste collections.

These insights support long‑term zero‑waste strategies and improve operational efficiency.

Contact our Helpdesk to organise a waste audit for your business.

5 Practical Tips to Reduce Your Food Waste

1. Donate surplus food to charities like FareShare or Plan Zheroes.
2. Buy small worktop caddies for kitchens where space is limited; they are also well-suited for home kitchens as they produce low volumes of food waste.
3. Use your senses and don’t rely solely on ‘best before’ labels as they measure quality not whether a product is edible or not.
4. For people at home, be creative with leftovers, there are plenty of websites that offer ideas for making new meals out of leftovers.
5. Keep spent coffee grounds separate from food waste.