Why is Food Waste an Issue - Doesn't Food Decompose When I Throw It Out?

I'm going to be honest - I used to question this too. I could see other reasons to avoid food waste like it costs more for me personally to waste the food I buy, or maybe how privileged it is to waste food when some people and communities don't have enough to eat. But how could this have a negative impact on the environment? Doesn't food just decompose in the garbage when we throw it out?

Here's the sad truth:

Rotting food waste creates harmful greenhouse gasses.

Rotting food in landfills creates methane gas. This is a greenhouse gas that is WORSE than carbon dioxide (CO2). The reason you might not hear about it as much as CO2 is because its effects are not as long lasting, which is what scientists have previously focused on when looking at greenhouse gasses. However, "methane is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere."

Why does rotting food in landfills create this gas but not when it decomposes other places?

In landfills, the food lacks access to oxygen or light. Without one (or both) of these things, the waste cannot properly decompose. Instead, it is squashed so tightly between other types of waste that it can't rot and decompose in the way that it is meant to and enrich the soil for new plants. We're stopping food from completing its circle of life when we let it rot in landfills.

Not only that, "when we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it." This is another way that food waste negatively, and indirectly, affects the environment.

A few more food waste facts:

One third of food gets wasted in the United States. According to the The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "fruits and vegetables and dairy and eggs are the most frequently wasted foods."

In that same report, the EPA found the calories in the food wasted is enough to feed 150,000,000+ people each year.

According to Feeding America, 34 million people are food insecure, 9 million of which are children. 100% of United States counties are affected by this. The amount of food wasted could feed 4 times that amount of people, eliminating this issue.

So, what can we do about this?

I never want you to read my blogs just to feel stressed and hopeless, because there are things we can do to take action and start working towards solutions!

Here are a few ways you can start decreasing the food waste in your own life:

- Start discarding of food waste properly! Compost compost compost!

- Don't buy more food than you need, even if it's "on sale". When you buy too much food to begin with, it's easier for it to go bad before you can get to it. I think its important to have a food storage, but when it comes to perishables, save your self the money and stress and don't over buy.

- Another tip is to store all your food properly. Different types of produce need to be kept in the fridge/out of the fridge, make sure dry ingredients are in sealed containers, etc. Next week's blog will be all about how to store your food.

Twice a month, I'll be sending out more specific tips and resources about things you can do that are realistic and affordable. Sign up for my newsletter here to get my Beginner's Guide to Sustainable Living and start adding in small eco habits into your life!

XOXO,

Kirsten