Economic Impacts of Food Waste Diversion in Illinois

Based on analysis by ICF

Wasted food is not just an environmental or hunger issue; it is a missed economic opportunity. 

Right now, 2.6 million tons of food are thrown away each year in Illinois. Food waste makes up 20 percent of Illinois’s landfills, where it creates the potent climate pollutant methane as it decomposes. Much of this wasted food could be rescued and redistributed to community members in need of food assistance. What cannot be eaten should be repurposed for animal feed, compost, or other recycling efforts. Policies that divert food waste from landfills can reduce climate pollutants, increase food rescue, and offer a host of economic benefits.

In order to estimate these benefits for Illinois, a new study commissioned by NRDC looks at the potential economic impacts of three food waste diversion policy scenarios, which would be gradually phased in over seven years. 

According to the study, upon full implementation, a comprehensive food waste diversion policy in Illinois could lead to:

• 14,000 jobs created across the state
• $3.8 billion in cumulative economic activity
• $172 million in cumulative tax revenue, due to supply chain impacts and economic ripple activity
• 2.2 million tons of food waste diverted from landfills each year
• 9 million metric tons less of carbon dioxide equivalent pollution over the course of 10 years, the same as taking two million cars—approximately one in five cars in Illinois—off the road for a year