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We are proud to be among the world’s first industrial facilities to implement the use of fly larvae in the treatment of green kitchen waste. To help encourage residents of the Vilnius region to more actively separate their food waste, influencers Brigita Uyar and Vaida Kurpiene recently visited our plant to see the process up close.

During their visit, they explored how kitchen waste from eight municipalities in the Vilnius region is processed. They were introduced to the equipment used to treat food waste and orange waste bags, and learned how we transform these materials into new products for use in industry, agriculture, and even fishing.

“I spent two full hours at the facility – it was absolutely fascinating! From the waste processing systems to the fly breeding centre, including the egg-laying stations – everything was cutting-edge. I could do an entire podcast about it. I’m always excited about innovations that support circularity and environmental sustainability. Now I truly understand that sorting food waste is worth it,” shared Vaida Kurpiene, a nutritionist and influencer, on her personal Facebook page.

We gave the influencers a full walkthrough of the facility – from the arrival of orange bags, to the separation of kitchen waste from the general stream, to the cultivation of fly larvae and the exploration of end-product applications. Their tour began at a 27-square-metre container that houses around 6 million flies.

This container is connected to a special egg-laying device that attracts flies to deposit their eggs – with each fly capable of laying up to 30 eggs. The eggs are then transferred to a dedicated larvae-rearing system. This tank is filled with organic matter derived from Vilnius residents’ kitchen waste, which becomes feed for the larvae. We estimate that processing one tonne of green kitchen waste can generate up to 90 kg of larvae.

We have invested EUR 1 million in larvae-rearing equipment tailored to the specific needs of Vilnius residents.

The influencers also observed the operation of our orange bag unpacking and sedimentation systems. These machines automatically prepare the larvae feed and remove impurities. The system blends the orange bags, their contents, and water, achieving up to 99% purity in the resulting organic mass.

We also shared our plans for utilising the larvae. Household kitchen waste still contains 30–40% proteins and fats, which we aim to recover through larvae cultivation. Preliminary agreements are already in place for producing protein-rich materials and oils for industrial applications – potentially for use in paint, solvents, and furniture production. The residue of the larvae can be repurposed as agricultural fertiliser, while the organic mass can also be used to produce biomethane.

Vilnius region generates around 40,000 tonnes of green kitchen waste annually, but only about 2,700 tonnes are currently sorted into the designated orange bags. Together with our visiting influencers, we urge all residents to take responsibility for properly sorting their food waste into these special bags and disposing of them in mixed municipal waste bins. We’ll take care of the rest!

Check the influencer‘s posts on Facebook and Instagram.

The Vilnius-based company UAB Energesman has officially introduced an innovative system for rearing fly larvae and processing organic waste collected in orange bags. The Vilnius region is among the first in the world to use fly larvae to break down household food waste, converting it into advanced products for industry and agriculture, while the larvae themselves can also be used as fishing bait.

Operations begin, development continues

“We have successfully completed trials and can now officially present our innovative solution. Vilnius residents are among the global leaders in sustainable food waste management. This is because it is a completely new approach – until now, fly larvae technology has only been applied to agricultural and food industry waste, rather than household food waste,” said Vaidotas Peciukaitis, Technical Director of Energesman, during the launch event.

According to him, the official launch of fly larvae production is just the beginning. The technology and processes will be further refined to adapt to Lithuania’s climate and the specific composition of food waste that residents dispose of in orange bags.

“This is a unique and complex system, which has already delivered positive results during trials. It will not only increase waste recycling rates but also contribute to the circular economy – transforming waste into valuable products that benefit both the environment and position Vilnius among the world’s most innovative cities,” said Dalius Krinickas, Head of the Energy Department at Vilnius City Municipality.

Energesman, the operator of Vilnius’ household waste sorting facility, has invested EUR 1 million in fly larvae rearing equipment, which was specifically designed in the Netherlands to meet the needs of Vilnius.

Additionally, the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) has invested EUR 1.1 million in an automated system for unpacking orange bags and preparing food waste for larvae processing.

“We are pleased to take bold steps in modernising our facility and implementing new waste management solutions. Efficient food waste processing is a key issue across Europe. Separating food waste ensures that it does not contaminate other materials, making recycling easier. At the same time, finding the best way to utilise food waste can strengthen the circular economy and national competitiveness,” said Marius Banaitis, an environmental specialist at VAATC.

Numerous applications for processed waste

It is estimated that residents of the Vilnius region generate approximately 40,000 tonnes of kitchen waste annually. However, only a small proportion is currently sorted into orange bags – around 2,700 tonnes were collected last year.

Household food waste contains 30–40% protein and fat, making it a valuable nutritional resource.

“By using food waste to rear fly larvae, we preserve valuable proteins, reducing the need to import soy or other protein sources. This is an innovative and sustainable way to utilise food waste,” explained Walter Jansen, CEO of Amusca BV, a partner in the development of this technology.

One key application is protein and oil production for industrial use. Proteins derived from larvae are used in the manufacturing of paints, solvents, adhesives, furniture, and lighting. Meanwhile, the oil can be processed into biofuels, and the fatty acids from the larvae are suitable for biodiesel production. Additionally, the waste generated from larvae farming can be used as organic fertiliser in agriculture.

“Products derived from larvae are in high demand worldwide, and we already have preliminary agreements in place for supplying proteins, oils, and fertilisers. We also expect Lithuanian fishermen to soon use local larvae as bait—we are in discussions about supplying them for fishing lure production. The only thing left is to scale up production to meet demand,” said Algirdas Blazgys, Director of Energesman.

The organic material extracted from food waste can also be converted into biomethane. Additionally, larvae-based products are being explored for scientific applications.

“Regulations currently permit the use of fly larvae-derived products only for industrial applications. They will not be used for human consumption,” confirmed the company’s CEO.

Houseflies – the best insect for the job

“The equipment in Vilnius represents one of the first projects worldwide where fly larvae are bred using food waste collected from households. Until now, this technology was only used in laboratories in the Netherlands,” explained a scientist involved in the project.

According to him, the common housefly (Musca domestica) is the most effective species for food waste processing. It achieves the desired results quickly, is naturally present across most of the world, and is native to Lithuania.

“A single container will house around six million flies, with each female laying approximately 30 eggs per day. This results in around 180 million eggs, which hatch into larvae. The process is self-sustaining, and we aim to produce billions of larvae annually,” explained V. Peciukaitis.

Flies live for an average of 21 days, meaning their population must be continuously replenished with newly hatched larvae.

It is estimated that 90 kg of larvae can be produced from every tonne of household food waste processed.

Energesman operates the Vilnius Mechanical and Biological Treatment Plant, which sorts mixed municipal and food waste from eight municipalities in the Vilnius region: Vilnius City, Vilnius District, Trakai, Elektrenai, Ukmerge, Svencionys, Salcininkai, and Sirvintos. The plant processes around 220,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The facility is part of VAATC, which is responsible for the waste management system across the Vilnius region. This includes infrastructure development, waste collection, and processing.

The waste management company UAB Energesman, responsible for handling household and food waste in the Vilnius region, has begun testing fly larvae farming. The Dutch-manufactured fly larvae equipment, worth EUR 1 million, is the first of its kind globally, specifically designed for processing household food waste. Additionally, UAB VAATC invested EUR 1.1 million in automated systems for processing orange waste bags.

Trials underway

“The equipment has been installed, and we have started testing. Initially, we conducted trials using plastic pellets, but now we are testing the system with live fly larvae. We are assessing the entire cycle – from breeding flies in a dedicated container to a specialised tank for collecting eggs, where larvae hatch. We are also testing the orange bag unpacking machine, which produces clean organic matter from food waste to feed the larvae,” explains Algirdas Blazgys, CEO of Energesman.

The flies are housed in a specially designed 35-square-metre container located at the Vilnius Mechanical-Biological Waste Sorting Plant, operated by Energesman and owned by the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC).

Connected to the fly container is a specialised egg-laying unit that creates optimal conditions for flies to lay their eggs.

“In the fly habitat, the lights automatically switch off every 3 – 4 hours, while the egg-laying unit is illuminated. This attracts the flies to lay their eggs. Later, the lights are reversed to guide the flies back to their living container,” explains Walter Jansen, CEO of Amusca BV and the Dutch scientist who developed and perfected the fly larvae technology.

The eggs are then transferred to a specialised larvae incubation tank, where, within just 3 – 4 days, 100 kg of eggs can grow into up to 3,000 kg of larvae. In this tank, the larvae are fed food waste from Vilnius residents, processed and cleaned by the orange bag unpacking system.

When the larvae mature, they automatically move to a separator, where they go through several screening cycles to separate them from residues and by-products generated during growth. Energesman invested EUR 1 million in this fly larvae farming equipment.

First globally

In addition to the fly and larvae farming equipment, the system includes an orange bag unpacking machine (depacker) and a sedimentation tank (seditank) that automatically prepare the larvae feed and separate impurities. VAATC invested EUR 1.1 million in this equipment.

The unpacking machine shreds food waste along with the orange bags and mixes the resulting mass with water. During the next stage, lightweight plastics float to the surface and are removed using an air vortex. Heavier impurities, such as glass shards, small stones, or metal particles, settle at the bottom and are also separated. The middle layer retains a liquid organic mass with 99% purity, which serves as larvae feed.

“This is the only equipment of its kind in Lithuania capable of producing such pure organic mass from household food waste, which typically contains various impurities like plastic packaging, glass, metal containers, sponges, and wipes,” says Tomas Vaitkevicius, Director of the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC).

The clean organic mass produced by the modern unpacking machine and sedimentation tank can also be used in biogas plants for biomethane production.

According to T. Vaitkevicius, the fly larvae farming technology being implemented at the plant is innovative and new, so the operator still faces a long journey to optimise production processes and find markets for the products.

“We aim to be the first region in the world where household food waste is processed using fly larvae – all the necessary equipment is in Vilnius, and the first trials are yielding positive results,” states A. Blazgys.

Encouraging food waste sorting to support larvae farming

“Together with Vilnius region residents, we are creating a success story. Therefore, I encourage everyone who has not yet started sorting food waste to begin doing so and contribute to larvae farming,” urges A. Blazgys.

According to him, studies show that since the introduction of food waste sorting last year, Vilnius region residents have been disposing of increasingly cleaner waste, as more households separate food scraps into dedicated orange bags. This makes it easier to prepare other waste for recycling.

T. Vaitkevicius emphasises that this modern approach to food waste management will create significant added value, help reduce the use of fossil resources, decrease reliance on imported protein crops, and contribute to the development of the green economy in Vilnius and across the country.

“We have adopted advanced technology that will positively impact the circular economy in Lithuania, as food waste can be reintroduced to the market as new products for industrial use,” says A. Blazgys.

The industrial larvae farming project is currently under development, and it is expected to start operating on a larger scale this spring.

The Vilnius Mechanical-Biological Waste Treatment Plant, operated by Energesman, sorts mixed municipal and food waste from the entire Vilnius region, which includes eight municipalities: Vilnius city, and the districts of Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrenai, Ukmerge, Svencionys, Salcininkai, and Sirvintos. The plant processes approximately 220,000 tonnes of waste annually.

As of this year, Lithuania has introduced a new system for collecting textile waste. Residents are now expected to dispose of such waste in dedicated textile waste collection containers. Any textiles discarded with mixed waste we also sort and repurpose for the production of SRF (Solid recovered fuel) mixtures.

How do we manage textile waste?

Approximately 10% of all waste arriving at the facility which we operate consists of textiles, including clothing, footwear, bedding, curtains, and other fabric-based products. This waste is meticulously sorted using both manual and specialised automated equipment, ensuring that it is repurposed effectively.

“All the textiles we receive are handled sustainably. None of it ends up in a landfill; instead, it contributes to the production of a new product – high-calorific SRF fuel, which we supply for cement production in Akmene,” says Algirdas Blazgys, CEO at Energesman.

Textile items disposed of in mixed municipal waste bins at the facility are dried, shredded, and incorporated into a special SRF mixture. This mixture is then delivered to AB Akmenes Cementas for use in their cement production processes.

At the cement factory, SRF – derived from textiles and other non-recyclable waste – is used in the production process to create clinker, which later becomes part of the cement.

Significant changes ahead

Starting in 2026, amendments to European Union directives will come into force, requiring clothing manufacturers and retailers in Lithuania to take responsibility for managing textile waste disposed of in dedicated containers. These businesses will be obliged to ensure that even damaged or unusable textile items are properly processed.

Plans are underway to significantly expand the textile waste collection network. Specialised containers will be installed in urban districts, small towns, villages, near shopping areas, petrol stations, and other frequently visited locations.

The evolving textile waste management system provides an opportunity to make better use of these resources. Nevertheless, if textile items continue to end up in mixed municipal waste bins, we will sort and process them efficiently to further contribute to Lithuania’s circular economy.

You can learn more about the changes in textile waste management in the TV3 report from 37:11 in Lithuanian.

The festive season is upon us – a time to pause, reflect on our achievements, and gather fresh inspiration for the year ahead. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our warmest greetings and gratitude to everyone who has been with us: our partners, clients, and employees.

The year 2024 was a meaningful for us projects wise. We take pride in collaborating with partners who share our vision – approaching work with responsibility, seeking innovation, and striving to create positive change.

Thank you for your trust and cooperation. Together, we have turned ideas into value and demonstrated consistency and responsibility in fulfilling our commitments. We believe that what we have built together forms a strong foundation for even greater success in the future.

May this festive season bring warmth, comfort, and peace to your homes, and may the New Year open the door to new opportunities and joy. We wish you a successful 2025 filled with meaningful moments and genuine partnerships.

On behalf of our entire team, we sincerely thank everyone contributing to the achievement of our shared goals.

Wishing you and your loved ones a bright, inspiring, and meaningful holiday season!

The Energesman team

We have introduced a new, simple, and convenient way to book tours of our factory. These tours allow everyone interested to learn more about our activities and innovative waste management solutions. We are one of the most modern and largest waste sorting factories in Lithuania.

“We are happy to welcome organisations interested in our activities. We guide them through the factory, explain how various systems work, and share data about the types and amounts of waste we process annually and daily. We invite everyone to register and see firsthand what the ‘Energesman’ company is all about,” invites Algirdas Blazgys, CEO of the Energesman factory, who leads the tours.

During the tours, you will see how the waste cycle works—from its arrival at the factory to its transformation into new products. From waste, we produce SRF (Solid Recovered Fuel), which we supply to AB Akmenes Cementas, where it becomes clinker, a key component of cement used in house construction. We also produce food for fly larvae, which are later turned into protein products for industrial applications.

To register, you need to:

• Visit the Tours section of our website: https://energesman.lt/en/tours/. 
• Select your desired date and time.
• Enter details about your organisation.

After registering, you will receive confirmation by email with all the necessary information about your visit to the Energesman factory.

We recommend bringing a respirator if you are sensitive to smells. Wear comfortable clothes and footwear, especially if you plan to climb production stairs and view the sorting lines from above.

Tours may be photographed and filmed, and the images and footage used to promote our activities.

We accommodate groups of up to 10 people. Tours last up to 2 hours and can be conducted in Lithuanian or English.

We invite you to register and visit us!

The Vilnius regional waste sorting facility operator, Energesman, has launched a new glass sorting line capable of extracting glass fragments as small as 10 mm, and even smaller, from mixed municipal waste. This advanced line is projected to sort and preserve around 13,000 tonnes of glass annually – enough glass to produce over 55 million half-litre jars.

Until now, some of this glass ended up in landfills. From now on, it will be recycled and reused. The equipment, manufactured in Spain, required a EUR 2 million investment.

Fly-wing-sized glass fragments

“The new equipment’s optics are so precise that during calibration, technicians observed that even a fly’s wing was detected and separated as glass,” says Algirdas Blazgys, CEO of Energesman.

Experimental results suggest that 98.82% of glass fragments in household mixed waste streams can now be recovered—nearly all the glass waste that residents dispose of in mixed waste bins. The new glass sorting line elevates waste to an 8-metre height—equivalent to a three-story building—and separates glass fragments through a series of shaking, sieving, and optical sorting processes, capturing even the tiniest particles that previously went unsorted.

“We searched extensively for the most suitable solution for the Vilnius region, researching practices in other countries, attending trade exhibitions, and examining applied innovations. We selected Spanish-made glass sorting technology and are pleased that the first weeks have exceeded our expectations. We’re recovering more glass from waste than we anticipated. There is indeed a lot of glass in residents’ mixed waste,” says Blazgys.

According to the plant manager, the new equipment handles waste that has already been dried in bio-tunnels and crushed to 8 cm. The system accurately separates ceramics, stones, and plastics, delivering a final product that is a clean technical compost mixed with soil.

Less waste sent to landfills

Lithuania has set ambitious goals to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills.

“More waste is being processed at the Vilnius Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) facility. The new glass sorting equipment, the production of special SRF fuel blends for the cement industry, and the separation of food waste by residents in orange bags have collectively halved—from 19% to 10%—the amount of post-sorted waste going to landfill,” notes Tomas Vaitkevicius, Director of VAATC, the facility’s owner, which selected Energesman as the operator through a public tender.

“This is significant progress, achieved by introducing waste management innovations that also foster a circular economy in Lithuania. Such solutions are critical for implementing the European Union’s Green Deal and for aspiring to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent,” Blazgys adds.

Sorted glass for recycling

The new equipment was acquired in collaboration with Zaliasis taskas (The Green Dot), an organisation focused on packaging waste management. In exchange for its investment, Zaliasis taskas (The Green Dot) has received priority access to certification for glass recycling for glass collected at the Energesman facility. These certificates will be proportionally issued to members of Zaliasis taskas (The Green Dot) —manufacturers and importers of glass packaging for the Lithuanian market.

According to Almontas Kybartas, Director of Zaliasis taskas (The Green Dot), fulfilling the glass packaging recycling quotas has been challenging until now.

“It’s ironic that, despite glass packaging being infinitely recyclable, we’ve been unable to ensure the recycling of all packaging introduced into the market. The reason is a lack of consumer awareness in sorting household waste. Therefore, we don’t find as much glass waste in recycling bins as the amount of products sold, and large volumes end up in mixed waste bins. Without additional equipment, retrieving glass shards from mixed waste is complex or often unfeasible. We hope that the new line, now operational, will support the glass recycling targets,” he explains.

Most glass recovered in Vilnius

In Lithuania, nearly 5,400 tonnes of glass waste were extracted from the mixed municipal waste stream last year. The majority—3,765 tonnes, or 70%—came from the Vilnius region.

With the new glass sorting line now operational, nearly 15,000 tonnes of glass will be recovered from mixed municipal waste across Lithuania. If sorting facilities in other regions do not update their processes, 13,000 tonnes, or 95%, of the glass will be recovered in the Vilnius region.

The Vilnius Regional Waste Sorting Facility, managed by Energesman, processes mixed municipal waste from the entire Vilnius county, including eight municipalities: Vilnius city and the districts of Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrenai, Ukmerge, Svencionys, Salcininkai, and Sirvintos. The facility sorts approximately 220,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN and CENELEC) has officially approved the document regarding the processing of SRF (Solid Recovered Fuels) in accordance with ISO standards. The committee has established an average formula for calculating the amount of SRF in clinker, with the intention of extending this to other products in the future. This will provide greater clarity on the portion of SRF that is converted into cement and thus recycled.

“This is excellent news for us, Lithuania, and the whole of Europe – we are one step closer to considering SRF, or at least a part of it, as a raw material. The committee has confirmed that, when producing clinker from waste, not only is energy generated, replacing fossil fuels, but part of the waste, in the form of ash, becomes part of the clinker, thereby reducing the need for natural resources. As a result, a portion of the waste is recycled and ultimately transformed into a new product – cement,” says Algirdas Blazgys, CEO at Energesman.

According to the formula approved by the committee, we calculate the recyclability index for each batch of SRF. Based on data from our plant, currently, an average of 10-15% of the SRF mix contributes to clinker production, which then becomes part of the cement at the AB Akmenes Cementas plant, while the remaining portion is used for energy production.

The document also confirms that different materials can be used in SRF production, which may impact the recyclability index. Therefore, we continually conduct research and measure which material combinations are most suitable for cement production and achieve maximum waste recyclability.

Thus, through innovative yet rational approaches, we are contributing to a more sustainable and greener future.

Residents of Vilnius and surrounding districts dispose of nearly as much plastic into mixed communal waste containers as they do into the designated yellow plastic sorting containers. Few people are aware that this doesn’t mean the plastic ends up in landfills.

Each year, Energesman, the operator of the mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) plant responsible for sorting mixed communal waste in the Vilnius region, recovers and sends for recycling approximately 11.4 thousand tonnes of secondary raw materials. This includes plastics, glass, metals, paper, and cardboard.

Interestingly, the Vilnius waste sorting plant recovers as many secondary raw materials as the rest of Lithuania combined – around 11.5 thousand tonnes of secondary materials.

“There are still large quantities of packaging and recyclable secondary materials in mixed waste. Our plant alone recovers as much plastic as residents sort into yellow plastic recycling containers,” explains Algirdas Blazgys, Director of Energesman.

In terms of weight, the Vilnius waste sorting plant recovers the most glass – 3,765 tonnes. The second most recovered material is paper and cardboard (2,962 tonnes), followed by plastic packaging (2,348 tonnes).

“Not all the plastic we recover finds a recycler who needs it. We could recover even more plastic packaging if there were enough processors for it,” says the head of the Vilnius waste sorting plant.

Energesman has been sorting and managing mixed municipal waste in the Vilnius region for eight years. Each day, approximately 150 refuse trucks deliver waste to the plant from across Vilnius County, which includes eight municipalities: Vilnius city and the districts of Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrenai, Ukmerge, Svencionys, Salcininkai, and Sirvintos. Waste is accepted and processed daily.

Residents of the Vilnius region are generating less mixed municipal waste. Last year, each resident in Vilnius and the surrounding areas produced an average of 259 kg of waste per year, or 710 grams per day. This represents a 3% reduction compared to the previous year when the figure was 267 kg per person annually, or 730 grams per day, for every resident – from children to the elderly.

Overall increase in waste and population

Despite the reduction in waste per person, the total volume of mixed waste in the Vilnius region is on the rise. Energesman, the operator of the mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) plant sorting mixed municipal waste, reports that last year the facility processed 219,900 tonnes of mixed waste. This is an increase of 1,325 tonnes, or nearly 1%, compared to the previous year when 218,600 tonnes were processed.

The overall growth in waste is attributed to the increasing population in the Vilnius region. At the start of the year, the population of Vilnius and its surrounding areas was 849,000 – nearly 4% more than the previous year’s 818,000 residents.

“Vilnius city and the surrounding region are steadily growing, which leads to an increase in the overall flow of mixed waste, even though each resident is producing slightly less waste than before. We sort all mixed waste again and prepare it for further use. Only a small portion – about one-tenth – is unsuitable for any further use, such as soil or small stones, which are sent to landfill. We strive to increase the proportion of waste that can be recycled each year,” explains Algirdas Blazgys, Director of Energesman.

Finding unusual items: tyres and phones

What do residents throw into mixed waste bins? The plant conducts regular morphological studies, which provide accurate data on the types and quantities of waste being disposed of. This helps the company monitor and analyse residents’ habits and plan its operations accordingly.

“The largest portion of the waste brought to us by weight is simple water – about 15%. We dry it out, significantly reducing the weight. This complicates the accounting process somewhat, as water in waste is not considered waste,” Blazgys explains.

Last year, plastic and its packaging made up 14% of the total municipal waste stream, with paper and cardboard at 8%, textiles at 6%, and glass and its packaging around 5%.

Food and kitchen waste accounted for 3.7%, while green waste made up another 3.8%. Nearly 5% consisted of inert waste, such as ceramics, concrete, and stones.

The plant also receives a significant amount of waste that should not be disposed of in mixed municipal bins – such as construction materials, car parts, tyres, furniture, electronic equipment, phones, and similar items.

Energesman has started producing Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) from non-recyclable waste. Last year, the company became the first in Lithuania and the Baltic states to receive a certificate from Bureau Veritas, allowing them to produce a specialised SRF mix for industrial use.

The Vilnius waste sorting plant supplies this SRF to Akmenes Cementas, where it becomes part of the clinker used in cement production.

By producing SRF for industry, Energesman is using more waste that cannot be recycled. This, along with new glass sorting technology, will help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.