Article

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.