When you’re a child you get lectured by your parents for not finishing your dinner. They reference children in Africa that starve while you waste the pile of peas on your plate. While this is relevant to the food waste epidemic, it’s nothing compared to the food waste that is created in America yearly. Americans throw out 400 pounds of food per person annually or 1,250 calories per day per person. In total America wastes slightly less than half of all the total amount of food. There are more than 42 million Americans that suffer from food scarcity, but the U. S. does not eat 40% of its food.

To prevent more harm to the environment and ensure world hunger subsides, there needs to be a prevention of food waste. There are several different ways to reduce your food waste while providing food and nourishment not only for other people, but also for the planet. One of the best ways to reduce food waste is by composting. Composting can be easy and efficient for your home. The process of composting is recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. All you have to do is take the food you do not consume (banana peels, egg shells, leftovers) and add it to a container which can be placed in your backyard. If you live in a place where you don’t have access to a backyard there are several discreet composting options for apartments and homes. Not only does composting reduce food waste but it also conserves water, cuts methane emissions from landfills, and improves soil health. 

Sadly all across the nation composting is not properly utilized. In New Mexico several stores donate certain food waste, but the rest is thrown away. Less than 10% of grocery stores compost, this is either because of lack of accountability or they don’t have access to compost services. This is very troubling because 40% of food waste comes from restaurants and grocery stores in America. The image of a slightly bruised apple may come to mind. Why don’t you see a bruised apple or slightly brown bananas in grocery stores? Most likely it is because this item is already in the trash since it does not represent the image that the store is trying to live up to. Food is food, and it shouldn’t be wasted because it’s not absolutely pristine in the eyes of the customer or business.

Composting is not the only way to reduce food waste. Some of the most simple ways to reduce food waste is to create a meal plan, stock your pantry with shelf stable foods that can be utilized for years, store food appropriately, and eat before you shop to prevent overbuying. These are all easy to implement in your life but one of the best All of these can be efficient ways to reduce food waste and global emissions. For several decades America has been at the front of the world for harmful practices to the Environment and overall food waste. The detriment that we have created has been largely ignored or explained away as a way for progress to be made with agriculture. Progress does not always have to mean waste and it’s time people that cared about this issue took initiative to stop these practices.

If you’re interested in having a compost system in your home, one of the best things to do is DIY it. All you’ll need is a large container/trash can (hopefully you can repurpose one that you had lying around), a power drill, and a power drill bit to go with your power drill. What you’ll need to do is rinse out your container, drill holes in the container approximately three inches apart (this should be both length and width), and then clean out the container again to  ensure no plastic particles are inside. Then start collecting your composting and adding it to the bin so it slowly starts to decompose.

With an effort from businesses and individuals, food waste can be a thing of the past. Taking accountability and trying new methods like composting, or just donating to people who need it more are ways to help the Earth. Don’t forget, just because the banana is a little ugly doesn’t mean it’s not delicious.

-Posted by Kayla