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Food Waste Management Market

The market for Food Waste Management was estimated at $81.3 billion in 2025; it is anticipated to increase to $107 billion by 2030, with projections indicating growth to around $140 billion by 2035.

Report ID:DS1905041
Author:Debadatta Patel - Senior Consultant
Published Date:
Datatree
Food & Beverage
F&B Miscellaneous
Food Waste Management
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Report Summary
Market Data
Methodology
Table of Contents

Global Food Waste Management Market Outlook

Revenue, 2025

$81.3B

Forecast, 2035

$140B

CAGR, 2026 - 2035

5.6%

The Food Waste Management industry revenue is expected to be around $81.3 billion in 2026 and expected to showcase growth with 5.6% CAGR between 2026 and 2035. This strong outlook underscores the strategic importance of Food Waste Management in reducing environmental impact, lowering operational costs, and enhancing food security across global supply chains, as governments tighten regulations on organic waste management and corporations escalate their sustainability and net-zero commitments. Demand is particularly concentrated among food manufacturers and other industrial end-users, which together account for 63.4% of market adoption, reflecting their need for compliant, scalable, and efficient food waste recycling solutions. Within the value chain, the collection waste type segment dominates, generating $43.6 billion in sales in 2025 and highlighting the critical role of optimized collection, logistics, and segregation services in enabling downstream treatment, landfill diversion, and resource recovery from organic streams.

Food Waste Management encompasses an integrated set of processes, services, and technologies that handle the segregation, collection, transportation, treatment, and valorization of discarded food and organic by-products from households, food manufacturers, hospitality venues, retailers, and municipalities. Core features include source-level sorting supported by smart bins, specialized collection and hauling infrastructure, and advanced treatment routes such as composting technologies, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy solutions that convert organic waste into biogas, fertilizers, and other value-added outputs. Major applications span industrial food processing plants, quick-service and full-service restaurants, institutional catering, supermarkets, and municipal solid waste systems, all seeking to improve sustainable waste management and align with circular economy principles in the food industry. Recent trends driving demand include stricter regulatory frameworks on organic waste disposal, growing emphasis on corporate ESG reporting, rapid adoption of digital monitoring and optimization tools, and rising investment in decentralized treatment units that enhance efficiency, traceability, and the overall economic viability of Food Waste Management solutions.

Food Waste Management market outlook with forecast trends, drivers, opportunities, supply chain, and competition 2025-2035
Food Waste Management Market Outlook

Market Key Insights

  • The Food Waste Management market is projected to grow from $81.3 billion in 2025 to $140 billion in 2035. This represents a CAGR of 5.6%, reflecting rising demand across Anaerobic Digestion and Composting.

  • The market exhibits an oligopolistic structure with only 7 prominent players, with Veolia Environnement and SUEZ commanding the largest shares.

  • U.S. and Germany are the top markets within the Food Waste Management market and are expected to observe the growth CAGR of 3.6% to 5.4% between 2025 and 2030.

  • Emerging markets including India, UAE and South Africa are expected to observe highest growth with CAGR ranging between 6.4% to 7.7%.

  • Industry players are pushing the adoption of transitions like Advancements in Technology for future years due to existing low growth of 5.6% ; but are also expected to invest $3 billion by 2030.

  • The Food Waste Management market is set to add $58.9 billion between 2025 and 2035, with manufacturer targeting Food Manufacturers & Food Distributors & Suppliers Application projected to gain a larger market share.

  • With

    enhancing sustainability practices, and

    Regulatory Influence, Food Waste Management market to expand 72% between 2025 and 2035.

food waste management market size with pie charts of major and emerging country share, CAGR, trends for 2025 and 2032
Food Waste Management - Country Share Analysis

Opportunities in the Food Waste Management

Rapid urbanization and middle-class dining growth in Asia-Pacific are also intensifying demand for Food Waste Management in supermarkets, hotels, and quick-service restaurants. Fruits and vegetables represent a key opportunity, with revenues rising from $14.48 billion in 2025 to $18.83 billion by 2030, supported by a 5.4% CAGR. Underpenetrated outlets need food loss reduction services, including smart bins, on-site industrial composting, and localized waste-to-energy solutions, positioning urban retail and hospitality applications as a leading growth pocket.

Growth Opportunities in North America and Asia-Pacific

In North America, the Food Waste Management market is propelled by strict landfill diversion targets, carbon accounting requirements, and mature cold-chain logistics, with Food Manufacturers emerging as the most influential end-user segment due to their high-volume processing, brand risk exposure, and centralized decision-making. Top opportunities include integrated organic waste recycling and food waste valorization solutions embedded in processing plants, digital monitoring of waste streams linked to procurement, and long-term waste-to-energy offtake agreements for high-strength residuals. Competition is defined by large integrated waste companies expanding into specialized treatment and data services, alongside agile niche providers, intensifying the need to differentiate through end-to-end traceability, sector-specific compliance support, and guaranteed performance outcomes for multi-site manufacturers. Strategic priorities should focus on turnkey plant-level programs, standardized cross-state service frameworks, and premium positioning of Food Waste Management as a lever for brand differentiation and investor-grade ESG reporting.
In Asia-Pacific, accelerating industrialization, expanding food exports, and policy incentives for resource recovery make Primary Food Producers the most relevant end-user segment for Food Waste Management, as they generate substantial organic by-products and face pressure to enhance productivity and resilience. Top opportunities center on scalable on-site or near-site anaerobic digestion for agro-industrial residues, decentralized composting solutions that convert farm and processing waste into marketable soil enhancers, and service models that integrate collection, treatment, and by-product monetization for producer cooperatives. Competition remains highly fragmented, dominated by local collectors and small treatment operators with limited technology depth, creating a gap for regionally consistent platforms that can standardize quality, reporting, and recovery value across diverse agricultural hubs. Strategic focus should prioritize modular, low-CAPEX technologies, partnership-led entry with producer groups and agro-parks, and positioning Food Waste Management as a productivity and income-enhancement tool linked to rural development, export competitiveness, and climate resilience.

Market Dynamics and Supply Chain

01

Driver: Stricter waste regulations and rising sustainability commitments across food value chains

Governments worldwide are also tightening landfill diversion rules, organic waste separation mandates, and carbon reporting requirements, directly accelerating demand for food waste management solutions. Regulations such as mandatory source segregation and landfill taxes are also pushing municipalities, hospitality operators, and food processors to adopt structured collection and treatment systems. Parallel to this, corporate sustainability commitments are also reshaping procurement decisions across the food value chain. Large retailers, quick-service restaurants, and packaged food manufacturers are also setting zero-waste-to-landfill and Scope 3 emission reduction targets, creating sustained demand for anaerobic digestion, composting, and waste-to-energy solutions. These commitments extend beyond compliance, as brands increasingly use food waste reduction metrics to strengthen ESG reporting and investor confidence. Together, regulatory enforcement and voluntary sustainability pledges are also driving long-term investments in scalable, auditable food waste management infrastructure and services.
Technological progress in compact anaerobic digesters, in-vessel composters, and smart grinding systems is also enabling on-site food waste treatment across hotels, hospitals, and large institutional kitchens. These decentralized solutions reduce transportation costs, lower contamination risks, and allow end users to convert waste into biogas, fertilizer, or reusable water. Integration with IoT-based monitoring further improves process efficiency, odor control, and regulatory compliance. As equipment footprints shrink and automation improves, adoption is also expanding beyond large facilities to mid-sized commercial establishments, strengthening recurring equipment sales, maintenance contracts, and service revenues in the food waste management market.
02

Restraint: High Implementation and Operational Costs

The economic revelation of food waste management systems represents a primary in this sector. As beneficial as these systems may be, there is a substantial financial implication involved in their installation, maintenance, and operation. These costs can often be prohibitive, especially for smaller businesses and organizations. Apart from the financial outlay for setting up these systems, there are also running costs to consider. This includes energy consumption, regular maintenance, and necessary upgrades. These high costs restrain many potential stakeholders from investing in food waste management systems, thereby limiting market growth.
03

Opportunity: Large-scale cereals processing plants in Europe adopting advanced Food Waste Management and Dairy supply chains in North America deploying digital Food Waste Management analytics

Rising regulation and cost pressures are pushing European grain millers, breweries, and cereal-based food manufacturers to modernize Food Waste Management across preprocessing, packaging, and by-product handling. Globally, cereals waste generates $43.60 billion in revenue in 2025, projected to reach $55.91 billion by 2030, making it the largest waste type segment. Untapped potential lies in integrating organic waste recycling, AI-driven sorting, and biogas production, transforming cereal by-products into high-value animal feed, bioenergy, and circular economy inputs.
Highly perishable dairy products create waste risks from farm to retailer, making North American supply chains candidates for Food Waste Management and predictive analytics. Dairy-related solutions are projected to expand from $23.26 billion in 2025 to $32.07 billion by 2030, the fastest-growing waste type with a 6.63% CAGR. Untapped value lies in integrating cold chain monitoring, demand forecasting, and supply chain optimization platforms that cut spoilage, enhance landfill diversion, and unlock partnerships with retailers.
04

Challenge: Lack of Awareness and Regulatory Frameworks

The limited awareness about the benefits of effective food waste management is another major constraint. Many individuals and businesses are simply not only aware of the significant impacts that food waste can have on society and the environment. As a result, they are less willing to invest in waste management strategies.

Supply Chain Landscape

1

Organic Waste Collection

Waste Management Inc.FCC Environment LtdRemondis SE & Co. KG
2

Food Waste Management

Veolia EnvironnementSUEZWaste Management Inc
3

Anaerobic Digestion Recovery

Veolia EnvironnementSUEZRemondis SE & Co. KG
4

Circular Economy Sectors

Food & BeverageHospitality & CateringAgriculture & Landscaping
Food Waste Management - Supply Chain

Use Cases of Food Waste Management in Anaerobic Digestion & Composting

Anaerobic Digestion : Anaerobic Digestion is a widely used application in Food Waste Management. This process involves the breaking down of organic materials by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment, ultimately turning waste into renewable energy source and compost. One of the major benefits of this technology is the conversion of waste into biogas which can be used as fuel, therefore ridding the environment of harmful waste while producing beneficial elements simultaneously. Key players in this space are Waste Management Inc. and Veolia Environment SA which are known for their innovative solutions and dominant market presence.
Composting : Composting is one of the oldest and most effective forms of food waste management. This method involves the decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms, producing compost which is a rich soil conditioner. Much of the food debris that pollutes our environment can be recycled and reused as compost, benefitting agriculture and home gardening. A key advantage of composting is its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Major market participants include Clean Harbors Inc. and Biffa group which excel in delivering sustainable compositing solutions with excellent market reputation and business performance.

Recent Developments

Recent developments in food waste management show accelerated adoption of circular economy models and sustainable practices across supply chains. Companies increasingly deploy anaerobic digestion and composting technologies to convert organic waste into energy and soil amendments. A key market trend is integration of smart waste tracking and IoT-enabled sorting systems, improving efficiency and regulatory compliance. These shifts enhance organic waste recycling and support corporate ESG goals, while reducing landfill dependence and operational costs.

June 2025 : Veolia Environnement announced the unveiling of its “Thor” industrial organic waste composting system at the Otay Sustainability Park in San Diego, a state-of-the-art setup that efficiently breaks down commercial organic/food waste, helping divert food waste from landfills in line with California organics mandates.
February 2025 : SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK advanced plans to establish a new anaerobic digestion facility at its Holloway Lane site near West London. Once permitted, this initiative is expected to repurpose food waste into renewable gas sufficient to power thousands of homes, demonstrating expansion in food waste-to-energy processing.
December 2024 : Veolia Environnement entered into a dedicated regional partnership agreement with the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) to jointly handle organic, industrial, and toxic waste (including food/organic waste streams) at both regional and national levels aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 sustainability goals.

Impact of Industry Transitions on the Food Waste Management Market

As a core segment of the F&B industry, the Food Waste Management market develops in line with broader industry shifts. Over recent years, transitions such as Advancements in Technology and Centralized systems to distributed networks have redefined priorities across the F&B sector, influencing how the Food Waste Management market evolves in terms of demand, applications and competitive dynamics. These transitions highlight the structural changes shaping long-term growth opportunities.
01

Advancements in Technology

Across the Food Waste Management market, technology-led transformation is shifting from incremental efficiencies to a strategic growth lever, as industry players respond to a modest 5.6% growth baseline by committing around $3 billion in capital by 2030. Investments are concentrating on advanced composting solutions, automated sorting, and anaerobic digestion technologies, alongside smart waste tracking systems that use real-time data to minimize food waste generation, optimize collection, and reduce disposal costs. By converting organic waste streams into high-quality compost, biofertilizer, and potential waste-to-energy outputs, these innovations strengthen circular economy models and improve resource recovery economics. This technology transition is expected to unlock higher margins, de-risk regulatory exposure, and create new revenue pools in food waste recycling and sustainable agriculture, positioning early adopters for outsized share gains as the Food Waste Management industry scales.
02

Centralized systems to distributed networks

The industry is moving from centralized, municipality-led facilities to distributed, on-site and community-level treatment networks. Decentralized systems reduce logistics costs and carbon emissions while improving resilience against collection disruptions. This transition is influencing equipment manufacturing, software providers, and facility management services, as demand grows for modular units and remote monitoring platforms. In parallel, real estate developers and institutional facilities are integrating food waste treatment into building design, accelerating cross-industry collaboration between waste management, construction, and smart infrastructure sectors.