Between 30% to 40% of all food in the US goes uneaten – approximately 20 pounds per person each month. Americans are throwing out $165 billion of food yearly. Getting food to your table every year requires 80% of our fresh water, 10% of our energy, and half of our land. If we are wasting a third of all our food, we are wasting an enormous amount of natural resources as well. On top of all this food is the second biggest component of landfills and landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions. We are all concerned about the planet and how our actions impact the earth that feeds and protects us. Many people, however, don’t realize that the biggest environmental step they can take – not recycling, not buying an electric car, or putting solar panels on their roof – is simply stop throwing food away.
There is a national goal to reduce food food waste by 50% by the year 2030. By making an individual effort to reduce food food waste in your kitchen, you will not only save money but help protect the environment, too.
