The North American Renderers Association has just released an infographic on Organics Recycling and "How Recycling Food Waste with Rendering Creates Value & Ensures Sustainability" as a part of their information campaign on the subject. The colorful and informative graphic is an educational tool for the public, and those in the government sector who may not be familiar with the rendering process and the sustainability and economic benefits of rendering food waste — specifically meat material. 

With the passing of Senate Bill 1383 in California in 2022 — which requires local governments to collect and recycle organic waste from commercial businesses, customers, and residents — NARA felt it was critical to release this information publicly, as hundreds of CA jurisdictions are required to be in compliance, and similar initiatives are moving forward in other parts of the U.S., particularly at the state level. By providing this information in an easy-to-understand format, NARA is assisting those required to enforce these regulations and educating local governments to help ensure that moving forward, organic materials like meat, bone, fat, etc. are being rendered instead of going to landfills. 

The Organics Recycling infographic, which explains the definition of “organic” in this context — it isn’t the organic section of a grocery store — details how including rendering in the recovery process for organic meat material ensures the highest and best use for this otherwise wasted material and allows that material to instead be upcycled to produce new, recycled goods such as biofuels, renewable fuels, biomass-based diesel and many more. The graphic also outlines a comprehensive step-by-step explanation of how food waste can be treated and reduced by referencing current information from the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy, as well as how rendering is an important step in that process to prevent enormous amounts of needless food waste, ensure sustainability and create value. A PDF version of the infographic is available here.

As part of NARA’s Organics Recycling information campaign and media rollout for the infographic, the topic is explored in more depth in Render magazine as the feature article in the publication’s October issue. The article includes exclusive interviews and a full-sized glossy fold-out infographic that can be removed from the magazine for quick access. Visit Render’s website. 

Roughly 50% of a meat animal is considered inedible by North Americans. This leaves a lot of leftover material (i.e., “the meat we don’t eat”). If not rendered, that meat would end up in landfills and increase greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). By diverting this organic meat from landfills and sending it to rendering facilities, it ensures this otherwise wasted material (like protein, bone, fat etc.), as well as used cooking oil (UCO) from restaurants, is safely, hygienically and sustainably processed into safe and clean rendered material for use in new products — so nothing is wasted.

Source: North American Renderers Association