IEA Report Highlights Sorting Technologies to Meet EU Food Waste Reduction Targets
A report from IEA Bioenergy TCP Task 36 emphasizes the importance of advanced sorting technologies in reducing food waste to meet EU regulations. The EU mandates a 50% reduction in per capita food waste by 2030, with new sorting policies in effect since 2024. Technologies such as optical systems and AI achieve sorting accuracies over 90%, with some systems reaching 99.9%. ReFood operates 12 anaerobic digestion facilities in Europe, processing up to 160,000 tonnes of food waste annually per facility and achieving near-100% material recovery rates.
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The IEA Bioenergy TCP Task 36 report outlines the role of advanced sorting technologies in meeting EU food waste reduction goals. The EU's food waste sorting policy, effective since 2024, requires a 50% reduction in per capita food waste by 2030.
Optical and sensor-based sorting systems utilize near-infrared spectroscopy and AI for high precision, achieving accuracies above 90%. ReFood, which operates 12 anaerobic digestion facilities across Europe, processes 160,000 tonnes of food waste annually per facility, reporting nearly complete material recovery by converting waste into renewable energy, biomethane, and biofertiliser.
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