Food Waste Prevention for Residents and Businesses

There’s growing interest in preventing wasted food at homes and local businesses.

More people are starting to recognize the natural resources and money that are being squandered when food goes to waste or is not used for its intended purpose of feeding people at home or through restaurants, food service or retail stores.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates about 66 million tons, or 120 billion pounds, of wasted food were generated in 2019 in the food service, food retail and residential sectors and about 60% was sent to landfills. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports 30 to 40 percent of the country’s entire food supply is estimated to be wasted.

The United Nations also estimates about a third of all food produced for people around the planet is wasted or lost – and that loss and waste generates almost 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Food is currently the single-biggest material in our trash. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reports the average household loses about $1,600 a year by throwing away spoiled food.

At the same time, about 10% of U.S. homes are food insecure at some time during the year.

The USDA and US EPA have jointly set a goal to cut the amount of wasted food in this country by 50% by 2030.

You can help reduce food waste right here in our community – and save money at the same time.

We can make a difference.