Anaerobic Digestion Data Collection Project

On this page:

About the Anaerobic Digestion Data Collection Project
Purpose and Scope of Data Collection
Survey Distribution
Survey Results

About the Anaerobic Digestion Data Collection Project

Anaerobic digestion facilities can process food waste that would otherwise go to landfills and combustion facilities. Of the 40 million tons of wasted food generated by manufacturers and processors, EPA estimates that 43% is managed by anaerobic digestion. However, anaerobic digestion is not relied on as much to divert wasted food generated in food retail, food service and residential sectors. Of the 66 million tons of wasted food generated in these sectors, only an estimated 1% is managed by anaerobic digestion, while 75% is landfilled or incinerated and the remaining 24% is managed by other management pathways.

EPA recognized that data showing the capacity of anaerobic digestion facilities to process food waste are important for states, communities, and others who are looking to divert food waste from landfills and combustion facilities. To provide these data, EPA obtained approvals from the White House Office of Management and Budget to survey operators of anaerobic digestion facilities. Approval for data collection was initially granted in 2016, and subsequently updated to allow EPA to continue collecting data through 2025.

Purpose and Scope of Data Collection

EPA uses electronic surveys to collect the following types of information about anaerobic digestion facilities that accept food waste:

Names and locations of anaerobic digestion facilities processing food waste.
Operational dates.
Types and sources of food-based and non-food-based feedstocks.
The capacity for processing food waste.
Tipping fees.
Facility operations, such as de-packaging/preprocessing.
Biogas production, gas cleaning systems, and biogas end-uses.
Treatment methods and end uses of digestate.

Survey Distribution

EPA surveys and collects data from operators of the following types of anaerobic digestion facilities that accept food waste:

Stand-alone food waste digesters.
On-farm digesters that co-digest food waste.
Digesters at water resource recovery facilities that co-digest food waste.

EPA distributed the survey in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024. EPA will conduct data verification and analysis before closing out the anaerobic digestion data collection project in 2025.

Survey Results

In September 2018, September 2019, January 2021, and April 2023, EPA published its first, second, third, and fourth reports of survey results. EPA summarized the fifth, and most recent, set of survey results online in June 2024. You can find links to all survey reports and the online summary at the bottom of this page.

Most of the collected data are current to the year the survey was shared with anaerobic digesters. However, the following six data points are specific to an operating year of interest for the survey round:

Amount of food waste processed.
Amount of non-food waste processed.
Amount of biogas produced.
Types of feedstocks processed.
Sources of feedstock processed.
Processing capacity.

For these data points, the first report presents data from 2015, and the second report presents data from 2016. The third report presents data for both 2017 and 2018. The fourth report presents data from 2019. The fifth set of survey results includes data from 2020 and 2021. Reports are listed below from most to least recent.

Note: The survey questions are included as links embedded in the last three PDF documents listed below. Once you access a document by using the link below, you must download and open it in a PDF viewer to access the survey questions.

Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste in the United States (2020 & 2021).
Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste in the United States (2019)(pdf) (2.2 MB, April 2023, EPA-530-R-23-003). Please note that on April 14, 2023, EPA updated this report to correct Figure 6 Top Five Food Waste Types.
Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste in the United States (2017 & 2018) (pdf) (1.73 MB, January 2021, EPA/903/S-21/001).
Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste in the United States (2016) (pdf) (3.16 MB, September 2019, EPA/903/S-19/001).
Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste in the United States in 2015 (pdf) (5.03 MB, September 2018, EPA/903/S-18/001). Please note that on September 27, 2018, EPA updated this first report to correct the reported overall biogas production amount for 2015. On September 27, 2019, EPA updated this report again to correct the food waste capacity and food waste processed amounts.