When most people think about food waste, they picture leftovers being thrown away. But preventing food waste isn’t just about reducing what ends up in the trash — it’s also about finding responsible, sustainable ways to use food scraps and materials that can’t be eaten.
That’s where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Wasted Food Scale comes in. The scale (formerly called the Food Recovery Hierarchy) ranks food management strategies from most to least environmentally preferable, aiming to guide businesses and consumers to prevent waste, feed people, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By prioritizing source reduction and donation over landfilling, the Wasted Food Scale helps minimize environmental impacts and supports a circular economy, keeping food and organic materials in productive use whenever possible.
Rendering, one of the oldest and most effective recycling processes in the food system, has now been restored to the Wasted Food Scale — a move that NARA and many agricultural, food, and energy organizations are celebrating. Read the press release here.
Rendering was included in the EPA’s food recovery guidance for nearly three decades before being removed without explanation in 2023. Industry leaders, farmers, and sustainability advocates quickly raised concerns, noting that rendering is one of the largest and most effective recyclers of organic material in the country. Over the past two years, NARA and a broad coalition of partners worked to restore rendering’s place in the scale, with strong bipartisan support in Congress.
Turning Food Scraps into Valuable Resources
Rendering safely transforms leftover materials from meat production — such as fats, bones, and other unused parts — into new, useful products. These materials become ingredients for animal feed and pet food, renewable biofuels, and essential materials used in everyday goods.
Without rendering, much of this material would have few safe or sustainable alternatives and could end up in landfills. Instead, rendering keeps these resources in use, reducing waste, lowering GHG emissions and supporting a more efficient food system.
Why the Wasted Food Scale Matters
The Wasted Food Scale provides guidance for businesses, communities, and policymakers on what should be done with food and food scraps when they can no longer be used for people. It highlights preferred options that deliver environmental and economic benefits while minimizing waste.
Restoring rendering to the scale ensures that this guidance accurately reflects real-world solutions that are already working.
Every year, rendering diverts millions of tons of organic material from landfills and transforms it into products that support agriculture, renewable energy, and everyday consumer goods.
“Rendering has been helping reduce waste safely and effectively for generations,” said Kent Swisher, President and CEO of NARA. “Restoring it to the Wasted Food Scale recognizes a solution that is already working to support sustainability and strengthen our food system.”
Looking Ahead
NARA and its members plan to continue working with the EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and congressional leaders to advance policies that help reduce food waste and promote responsible recycling solutions.
The restoration of rendering to the Wasted Food Scale sends an important message: Preventing food waste isn’t just about throwing less away — it’s about using resources wisely. Rendering shows how food scraps can be transformed into valuable products that benefit both people and the environment.
