Denali Propels Growing Restaurant Sustainability Effort to Convert Food Waste from Operational Cost to Value Driver

‍RUSSELLVILLE, AR – April 1, 2026 – Restaurants across the United States are increasingly adopting food recycling programs as part of broader sustainability efforts to reduce landfill waste while improving operational efficiency. According to ReFED, U.S. restaurants generate approximately 11.4 million tons of food waste each year, costing operators more than $25 billion annually. ReFED estimates that the average restaurant discards between 25,000-75,000 pounds of food each year, 70% of which typically comes from diners’ plates, creating an environmental challenge and an operational opportunity.

To address this growing challenge, operators across the U.S. are turning to Denali, the nation’s largest recycler of food and organic materials, to capture food scraps and leftover food  and extend their value by converting them into renewable products, like compost, natural fertilizer and biofuel. 

From Charleston, South Carolina, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, the restaurants below are part of a growing sustainability movement using food recycling programs to keep food from landfills, benefit communities and provide operational cost savings:

• ReRun Restaurants
• Farm & Table
• M’Tucci’s Restaurants 

“For many operators, excess or leftover food has historically been treated as an unavoidable cost of doing business rather than an opportunity,” notes Laila Lakhani-Ali, executive vice president of commercial strategy & sustainability at Denali. “By capturing uneaten food for composting, operators can reduce landfill waste, extend the life of food, and demonstrate to guests that sustainability is built into how they run their business. Denali’s scalable recycling solutions make it easy for restaurants to integrate landfill diversion into everyday operations without disruption.”

Industry research also shows that every dollar invested in food waste prevention can generate about $8 in savings, making waste reduction an environmental and financial win for restaurants.

How are restaurants embracing food waste recycling?

Across its three Charleston-area restaurants (Leon’s Oyster Shop, Little Jack’s Tavern and Melfi’s), ReRun Restaurants adopted food recycling in 2016. Their program incorporates collection bins from Denali and staff simply separate prep scraps and plate waste as a part of their kitchen workflow. 

“It was eye opening to see how much food waste we could keep out of the landfill,” says Adam Gainer, director of operations of ReRun Restaurants. “We divert about two tons of food waste every month and send it to local composting facilities where farmers and growers turn it into soil amendments. Partnering with Denali made it easy to implement a program our team is proud of.”

M’Tucci’s Restaurants launched its food recycling program this year. The Albuquerque company operates four family‑friendly restaurants and a catering business and has long viewed sustainability as core to its mission. 

“Years ago, our chef explored food recycling but found the costs prohibitive,” said Howie Kaibel, marketing director for M’Tucci’s Restaurants. “Thanks to Denali and Soilutions, we are successfully redirecting food scraps and keeping them out of the landfill. The program supports our company culture that includes a four‑day work week for salaried employees, community tutoring initiatives and partnerships with local community groups.” 

How are businesses helping keep food waste out of landfills?

Restaurants are part of a broader national network of industries working with Denali to keep organic materials out of landfills. Denali also partners with retailers, grocers, stadiums, municipalities and more to recycle uneaten food and organics into valuable resources, including compost, natural fertilizer, animal feed, and biofuel. Annually, Denali diverts an average of 14 billion pounds of organic materials, including 2 billion pounds of food waste.

For more information on restaurant food waste recycling and how to get started, visit Denalicorp.com. 

About Denali

Denali is the leading organic recycling company on a mission to unlock the power of unused food and organics, transforming them into resources to feed, fuel and replenish the earth.  Our work is essential to keeping water clean, reducing the need for new landfill capacity, building soil fertility, helping farmers be more resilient, and reducing society’s reliance on fossil fuels. Denali provides meaningful and measurable change for any business that handles food, creating value with our scalable solutions across the nation. Our services and products touch thousands of acres and businesses, millions of tons of organic material, and nearly every person who purchases and consumes food in the U.S.