Did you know?
- Americans discard more food than any other country, nearly 40 million tons — or 30-40% of the entire US food supply.
- More than 80% of Americans discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels.
- The average American wastes about 1 pound of food each day, making food the largest tenant of landfills.
- 28% of waste deposited in landfills can be composted. The decomposition of this waste increases methane emissions, a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2.
- Wasting food contributes to 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- If every American composted, it would be equivalent to taking 7.8 million cars off the road.
Here’s What You Can Do
Where does it make sense for you to start reducing your food waste? We’ve got some suggestions below and in this week’s podcast (click to listen).
Make A Change. Better Understand Expiration Labels. Most food is tossed because it’s past the sell-by or best-by expiration date. These dates are conservative and, depending on the item, it’s often fine to eat long after those dates.
Go A Step Further. Start Composting. There’s something deeply satisfying about composting and seeing how little trash you create. Spend a few minutes on Google and see if there’s a compost collection site near you. If not, look at home composting systems like these. Here’s a list of what you can (and can’t) compost.
Take The Lead. Bring Composting To Your Community. If you’re already composting, inspire your community to start composting, too! Schools, houses of worship, local nonprofits, your favorite restaurant, anywhere you’re involved that also prepares and serves food
Join Us!
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