Denali Recycles 14+ Billion Pounds of Organic Material in 2024

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Denali announced that it recycled more than 14 billion pounds of organic materials in 2024, including more than two billion pounds of food waste, which is equivalent to filling more than 350,000 semi-trailers. This accomplishment demonstrates Denali’s critical role in managing 11% of the nine million tons of food waste recycled in the U.S. in 2024 – a testament to the company’s growing impact in advancing sustainability solutions at scale.

Denali, who partners with more than 8,000 customers across the U.S., including Walmart, NASCAR, various sporting arenas, food manufacturing facilities, hotels, colleges, universities, healthcare facilities, and convention centers, among many others, today unveiled their third annual Sustainability Report which revealed the company also recycled more than 8.6 billion pounds of food processing residuals last year.

As the U.S. food industry continues to confront mounting pressure to reduce landfill waste, Denali has expanded its ability to recycle even more food waste with one of the largest depackaging equipment networks in the country. Since the start of 2024, Denali has processed over 700 million pounds through its depackaging network. The automated depackaging process allows food to be separated from its packaging at scale, enabling retail employees to focus on high-value activities.

“Our 2024 Sustainability Report shows that food waste recycling is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s becoming an industry standard and business imperative,” said Denali CEO, Todd Mathes. “Denali’s work drives the circular economy and plays an important role in the food supply chain through regenerative agriculture that feeds animals, enhances farmland fertility, and nutrient-rich compost, all of which reduce carbon emissions to benefit the environment. Every year we aim to grow our positive impact on our environment, and we did just that in 2024 thanks to our expanded network of services and partners that share our mission.”

Overall Impact By the Numbers

In 2024, Denali’s work contributed to:

• Keeping more than 2 billion pounds of food in the economy by transforming it into usable products.
• Food waste recycling avoiding an estimated 775,000 mt CO₂e (metric tons of carbon dioxide), equal to nearly two billion miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
• Creating 12.6 billion pounds of agricultural staples from organic materials for farmland and livestock.
• Transforming food and green waste into 1.2 million tons of compost, mulch and soils.
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o    The company’s ReCirculate™ compost, made only from food waste, was made available in more than 600 Walmart stores nationwide, and that number of stores is expected to increase in 2026.

• Creating 12.1 million gallons of biodiesel from used cooking oil.
• Thousands of hours of labor saved so employees can focus on high-value activities.

This impact comes as food waste remains an ongoing national challenge. According to ReFED, in 2023, the U.S. generated about 73.9 million tons of food waste across industry sectors. Of this total, retail, consumer-facing businesses and foodservice contributed about 17.2 million tons of food waste (23%) and only an estimated 9 million tons were recycled.

When unconsumed food is landfilled, it produces landfill gas that includes an estimated 50% methane – a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Looking ahead, Denali anticipates its impact will continue to grow in 2025 and beyond, as the company partners with new industries and continues to expand its depackaging technology across the U.S. Food waste is one of many organic waste streams that Denali converts into valuable products as part of its mission to provide the best recycling solutions for a healthier planet.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com