Food Waste
The public is becoming increasingly aware of just how much of the food we produce ends up as waste, but the numbers can still astound. As pointed out in a previous blog, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans threw away 36.73 million tons of food waste in 2012, and only 1.74 million tons of this waste was recovered or recycled.
A large amount of the organic waste generated in the long food supply chain of agricultural production, processing, distribution, sale, and consumption comes from those links that precede the point at which you bring the food home and eat it (or not). According to EPA data, however, there’s still quite a bit of scrap that we generate in the course of managing our kitchens and our meals. And there’s ample opportunity to reduce that waste volume.
Continue reading: Waste Reduction in the Kitchen >
Food Waste Statistics and Reduction Tips
Resources:
EPA – Environmental Benefits of Composting
Vermicompost: A Living Soil Amendment – Cornell University research page – learn the science behind worm composting!
