Save Money and Resources by Reducing Food Waste

By The Natural Resources Defense Council
Published on December 17, 2012
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Illustration By the Natural Resources Defense Council
The repercussions of wasted food go way beyond money down the drain; other negative consequences include wasted fresh water and energy as well as increased methane production.

This article is reposted with permission from The Natural Resources Defense Council.

Saving Leftovers Saves Money and Resources

Feeding the U.S. population requires an enormous amount of land and resources. Yet, 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to waste. When the resources to grow that food are considered, this amounts to approximately 25 percent of all freshwater, 4 percent of the oil we consume, and more than $165 billion dollars all dedicated to producing food that never gets eaten. Reducing your own food waste is an easy way to trim down your bills and your environmental footprint.

How Much Do We Waste?

In the U.S., we waste around 40 percent of all edible food. A large portion of that waste is caused by consumers. The average American throws away between $28-43 in the form of about 20 pounds of food each month.If we
wasted just 15 percent less food, it would be enough to feed 25 million Americans.Feeding the planet is already a struggle, and will only become more difficult with 9-10 billion people expected on the planet in 2050. This makes food conservation all the more important. The United Nations has predicted that we’ll need up to 70 percent more food to feed that projected population. Developing habits to save food now could dramatically reduce the need for increased food production in the future.

What Does Food Waste Cost Us?

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