Landfills Affected By Food Waste In The United States

There are so many people in this world that do not have access to food and yet every month, Americans throw away over a billion pounds of food. “The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that as much as a third of all food grown is lost or wasted — about 1.3 billion tonnes worth almost $3 trillion”.
(Western Producer) We are all guilty of food waste. All of us are affected by food waste and it has become a rising concern with consumers and researchers. Once food is discarded, “only a low percentage of all food wastage is composted: much of it ends up in landfills, and represents a large part of municipal solid waste. Methane emissions from landfills represents one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions from
the waste sector.” (UNEP) The earth’s atmosphere heats up due to large amounts of greenhouse gases, causing climate change and global warming. “More notable than the cosmic amounts of Co2 and methane emitted into the atmosphere due to the food system, is that an estimated 61% of landfill food is unnecessary waste that could very well have been eaten before contributing to global warming.”(Payne) Many items wasted are biodegradable, however, some are not. Certain food items are wrapped in plastic or in a can therefore air can’t get to it, and without air, food can’t rot down. Food waste also created water waste and depletes land resources by plowing or raising livestock on products that do not even make it to a retail store. Food production uses a large amount of water Consumers do not want to buy fruits and vegetables that do not look perfect, if they have a bruise or are a tad bit abnormal they are discarded.
Food waste can be decreased by growing less products if there is no storage space available. Restaurants need to stop over ordering and take their extras to homeless shelters to feed the hungry. Juice companies can turn the unwanted fruit in to juices. Make the “sell by”, “use by” and “best by” labels less confusing. Many of us will not touch food once the expiration date has gone by. Grocery store could have a clearance bin for fruits and vegetables that are not perfect and sell them at a lower price. This could also allow lower income families a chance to eat healthier foods because they would be more affordable. Meal planning and shopping lists can also reduce food waste. Don’t impulse buy, buy what you need. Whenever uneaten food gets thrown away, money is being wasted. Once a week, monitor what you throw away and see if maybe you need to change the size you buy or freeze what you do not use. As you plan our daily meals, try not to overcook. If overcooking occurs, then the left overs can be frozen and eaten later. Taking your left overs for lunch or eating it again for another meal will help with waste reduction. Try composting you kitchen waste. There are several garden stores that sell bins at reasonable prices or start a plie in your backyard.