Waste and Recovery

To us, being smart means more than just providing high-quality products at low prices; it means working every day to help create a better world. Our long-time business model is inherently designed to create efficiency and reduce waste. As part of our commitment to address waste, we aim to address both food and operational waste generated by stores and warehouses.  

Our Waste Reduction & Recycling  Ambition

ALDI aims to reduce and divert both food and non-food waste within our own operations through recycling, reuse, and donation programs.

Prevention

Smaller Footprint, Less Waste.  At 12,000 square feet, our typical store is much smaller than the majority of grocery retailers and we only fill our shelves with the most popular products in the most popular sizes, display groceries right in their shipping boxes,  encourage  the use of reusable bags and avoid non-essential grocery store services. Not only does this translate into big savings for our shoppers, but it means that, right from the start, ALDI is producing less waste by simply not selling as many products in the first place.

Efficient Ordering.  At ALDI, we have a computer-generated ordering system in place that calculates product orders for the freezer, cooler and grocery areas of our stores. We also use a separate program for ordering perishable items, such as bread, meat and produce, to optimize product quantities in an effort to reduce potential waste caused by over-ordering and to control costs.

Donation

We strive to never let good food go to waste. With this in mind, our stores and warehouses are partnered with a local food bank and agencies to redistribute unsaleable products still safe for consumption, to limit food waste and address food insecurity in our communities. ALDI has a partnership with the Feeding America network of food banks and this allows us to make a positive community impact while also supporting our goals to limit our environmental impact. In 2025 we had 47,452,898 pounds of total food donation.

Organics Recycling

As part of our commitment to address food that’s no longer edible, we have started organics recycling programs at select stores, warehouses, and Illinois National Services offices. In 2024, we diverted 11.9 million pounds of food waste from landfill through our organics recycling programs.

Standardized Date Labeling

We adhere to the standardized product date labeling system developed by the U.S. Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Phrases like "best if used by" and "use by" on our packaging helps reduce the unnecessary waste of products that are still safe to consume.

Recycling

At ALDI, we commit to using our resources responsibly. We continue to explore different ways to reduce the amount of waste generated and actively work to divert material from the landfill.

Cardboard, plastic wrap, damaged or unusable pallets, batteries and electronics are among the materials we collect and recycle within our operations.  In 2024, we recycled 457,000 tons of material.