Food waste recycling shifts burdens from climate to soil

Summary

Recycling food waste instead of dumping it in landfills can cut greenhouse gas emissions, but this study finds it comes with a tradeoff: the process can leave behind more plastic contamination and excess nutrients in soil, since packaging often gets mixed in with food scraps. That plastic residue matters for your health because it can break down into microplastics that end up in the food we grow — so making "greener" waste habits actually work requires better sorting systems, not just good intentions.