Divert: 1 billion pounds of wasted food processed since 2021

Divert Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food, on June 29 announced the company has processed more than 1 billion pounds of wasted food since 2021, mitigating approximately 80,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This is the equivalent of eliminating nearly 18,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles on the road a year or providing more than 15,000 homes’ electricity use for a year. 

Divert’s milestone represents the company’s continued leadership and progress ​​in tackling the national wasted food crisis, which generates more than 126 billion pounds of wasted food annually. Wasted food also contributes up to 10 percent of GHG emissions globally. While increasing awareness, federal and statewide regulations, and private-sector initiatives have aligned to fuel a rising tide in waste prevention and mitigation, the challenge remains the scale and complexity of the problem. 

Divert is positioned to significantly accelerate its meaningful impact on this crisis through its advanced technologies, logistics, and sustainable infrastructure. As one of the largest processors of wasted food in the U.S., the company currently manages approximately 0.5 percent of all wasted food nationwide. In the next eight years, Divert plans to expand to 30 facilities within 100 miles of 80 percent of the U.S. population and be able to process 5 percent of wasted food in the U.S. With this expansion, the company is poised to process 6 billion pounds of wasted food annually by 2031. 

“In Divert’s 16-year history, our priority has always been to prevent wasted food and drive positive environmental impact that preserves our world for future generations,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “We want to celebrate reaching this milestone of one billion pounds in such a short amount of time, while recognizing that we still have important work ahead of us as an industry to accelerate that impact. Through our continued collaboration with our customers and our plans for rapid yet responsible infrastructure development over the next decade, Divert is truly poised to make a significant contribution to tackling this crisis.”

“Divert has been integral in helping to divert food waste going to landfills across our retail locations and enabling us to make meaningful progress on our Recipe for Change goals,” said Suzanne Long, chief sustainability and transformation officer, Albertsons Companies. “This industry-leading milestone is a testament to the impactful solutions Divert has pioneered to address the issue of food waste, and the responsibility and opportunity we have as an industry to prioritize sustainability and mitigate our climate impact.”

This milestone comes on the heels of rapid growth for Divert. To meet growing demand, Divert expanded its employee headcount by more than 33 percent in the past year. The company recently broke ground on its state-of-the-art Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock, California and also secured a $1 billion infrastructure agreement with Enbridge Inc. alongside $100 million in growth equity led by Ara Partners to develop additional anaerobic digestion facilities across the U.S.