Food waste is the single, most frequent material incinerated and landfilled in the United States. More than one-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten.
In addition, the food that’s wasted is squandering the used resources to produce it and creating consistent and countless shock on the environmental.
Food Waste
Food waste in the U.S. comprises of 24 and 22 percent of combusted municipal solid waste and landfilled.
Reducing and preventing this dilemma can encourage resource and energy conservation, promote productivity and economic efficiency, and address climate change.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared a report with one of the purposes to inform the public, researchers, and domestic policymakers, about the environmental footprint of food loss and waste in the U.S…
Additionally, in their report, they included the environmental benefits that can be achieved by a reduction of this environmental impact.
Environmental Impacts
A few of the noted impacts of food loss and waste in the U.S. include:
- Enough water and energy to supply more than 50 million homes
- An area of agricultural land equal to California and New York
- Greenhouse gas emissions of more than 42 coal-fired power plants
- The amount of fertilizer used in the U.S. to grow all plant-based foods for U.S. human consumption
The EPA notes,
“This report provides estimates of the environmental footprint of current levels of food loss and waste to assist stakeholders in clearly communicating the significance; decision-making among competing environmental priorities; and designing tailored reduction strategies that maximize environmental benefits.”
The report also recognizes key knowledge gaps where new research could improve our understanding of U.S. food loss and waste and help to influence and shape successful strategies to reduce its environmental impact.
The following is a link to the EPS’s report: From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste (pdf)
For additional information, visit EPA’s Food Waste Research webpage.
