Waste food from residences, grocery stores, and food services accounts for nearly seven percent of the municipal solid waste stream. The per capita amount of food waste in municipal solid waste has been declining since 1960 due to increased use of garbage disposals and increased consumption of processed foods. Food waste ground in garbage disposals goes into sewer systems and thus ends up in wastewater. Waste generated by the food processing industry is considered to be industrial waste, and is not included in municipal solid waste estimates.

Waste from the food processing industry includes: vegetables and fruits unsuitable for canning or freezing; vegetable, fruit, and meat trimmings; and pomace from juice manufacturing. Vegetable and fruit processing waste is sometimes used as animal feed and waste from meat and seafood processing can be composted. Liquid waste from juice manufacturing can be applied to cropland as a soil amendment...