I finally looked up the actual cost of food waste in my town

Last week I dug into the numbers for my county in Ohio and found out we throw away nearly 40% of the food we bring home. That stat came from a local sustainability report the library had on display. Most people I talk to think food waste is just about spoiled leftovers or picky kids, but the environmental cost alone is way bigger than I expected. Has anyone else looked into what your area tosses out every year?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_lopez1mo ago

Forty percent is insane when you stop and think about it. That's almost half of everything we buy just going straight to the dump (or the landfill, more accurately). The methane part is the real kicker too because that stuff traps heat way more than car exhaust does. Makes you wonder why we don't see more push for those community compost bins or grocery store donation programs.

sandra_bennett591mo ago

Read a piece in National Geographic about how food waste in landfills creates methane, which is way worse for the climate than CO2. That 40% number lines up with what they said about the average US household. Basically, we're creating greenhouse gases every time we toss out a half-eaten sandwich.

janah831mo ago

My coworker literally told me yesterday she found moldy lettuce in her fridge from three weeks ago @sandra_bennett59.