[Ryan]

A little dated at this point, but I remember this 2022 report from ANL being very interesting. I believe it focused primarily on the potential for WWTP infrastructure to contribute to decarbonization due to their size (77% are categorized as “large-scale” and 66% are located in close proximity to natural gas infrastructure).
While definitely a source of efficiency, WWTPs are located very near to the communities they serve, and collected food waste then does not have far to travel to be effectively utilized, you run into the issue of jurisdiction.
The vast majority of WWTPs are owned by municipalities, while the majority of waste collection is controlled by private operators. The question of who bears responsibility for mis-sorted materials becomes a big risk for municipalities.

osti.gov

Opportunities for Recovering Resources from Municipal Wastewater (Technical Report) | OSTI.GOV

Municipal wastewater contains valuable resources including water, energy, and nutrients that often enter and leave wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) without being captured. Currently, plants are increasingly seeking to recover resources and reuse them in a sustainable way. Therefore, the purpose … Continue reading