These wastes are primarily trimmings and spoiled food products, and paper wastes such as packaging and shipping materials. Additional waste streams generated by this sector include steel, metal, glass, and plastic containers, plastic films, and wooden crates and pallets. New York City's Department of Sanitation reported that the City's retail food stores generate approximately 433,000 tons of waste annually. More than 80 percent of the wastes generated by supermarkets is composed of organic material, including food, paper and corrugated cardboard. Much of this waste can be composted or recycled.
Many supermarkets do, in fact, recycle their corrugated cardboard.
However, composting and recycling of other organic wastes generated by the retail food sector is not widespread. More than 30 percent of the waste generated by food producers is food waste such as spoiled meat and produce, off-spec foods from canning or freezing operations, and items that outlive their shelf lives or expiration dates. Another 30 percent of the waste generated by food producers is paper and corrugated cardboard. Plastic film and metal containers account for ten and three percent, respectively, of this industry's waste stream. Click here a list of Plastic Film Recyclers in the New York City area.