Food waste is a top contributor responsible for greenhouse emissions. The unites states specifically is a global leader in food waste. Every year, Americans waste nearly 40 million tons of food every year. Most of the un-eaten food is sent to pile up in landfills producing methane—a harmful greenhouse gas. About 11% of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
To combat this environmental concern, organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have made efforts to reduce the amount we waste annually through programs like EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM). The EPA hopes that by employing these waste reduction programs, it will help them reach a 50 percent reduction of food waste by 2030 (EPA). And by the looks of their results in the SMM’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) last year, where over a 1,000 participants and endorsers were able to save a total of 648,000 tons of discarded food, they’re off on a good start (EPA).