Food waste is a big issue each of us can help address. How big? The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates we waste about a pound per person each day. There is a climate impact: An October Earth911 article noted that food waste represents the largest input to landfills, and a November 30 Atlantic article explained that rotting food annually emits as much as 42 coal power plants. There is a personal cost too: About $1,300 a year in wasted food… per person!
For over 10 years, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has worked to reduce food waste. Why? Since we have exceeded in-state capacity, we ship almost half our trash out of state, raising costs for everyone and making us vulnerable to cut-offs by any receiving state. Wasting all that food is tragic at a time when almost 2 million adults are food insecure, according to the Greater Boston Food Bank. And the food waste that ends up in landfills produces methane, which warms the climate 80 times more than carbon dioxide over the initial 20 years!
Minimizing, separating, and treating food waste saves money and the environment. One treatment option, composting, produces a soil amendment useful for gardens and farms. And it releases no methane.
MassDEP’s food waste reduction program covers all food waste and includes regulations, grants, tax credits, outreach, technical support, and collaboration across sectors. Examples:
- FREE business help through RecyclingWorks
- FREE resources for schools through the Massachusetts Green Team
- FREE resources for individuals/families through the Recycle Smart MA program
- GRANTS to farmers from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture
- Efforts to divert and distribute excess food and create markets for compost and related products
A study published last September in the journal Science compared states with food-waste bans and concluded that Massachusetts should be used as the “benchmark for success.” Yet, a MASSPIRG media release last August noted that almost one million tons of food waste were in the state’s waste stream; the state had fallen short of MassDEP’s 2020 food waste reduction target; and we have to double the rate of organic waste diversion to reach the 2030 reduction goal. We all have a lot of work to do!
What can we do?
My first source of tips is Linda Cysz, who heads the Lee Land Trust. She offers this observation: “Of the three essentials for life—air, water, and food—the one we have some control over is food.” While acknowledging we are all busy, she notes that reducing food waste need not take much time.
Linda suggests thinking about what works for you: What do you eat, what are family members’ favorite foods, how do you cook, how do you handle leftovers, and how often you do you shop (with a list)? The answers could help you enjoy your meals more while minimizing waste and saving money.
Success in reducing food waste may require changing habits. Can you buy more local food at a farmers’ market (it is fresher) or your supermarket? How about eating seasonally? She also suggests trying to grow some of your own food, maybe start with a container garden: just a big pot or tub. Research online, at your library, or your garden center. Cherry tomatoes are a good start, along with herbs like basil or oregano. Or try a runner bean plant climbing a trellis. Remember winter, when “fresh” can be your own summer crop—frozen, canned, or dried. Also, share any surplus.
Little by little, you might start eating more healthily and wasting less food. If you have children at home, make it fun. Perhaps they could track what is in season and from how far away your food comes. You might also jointly explore new recipes.
Despite your efforts, you might still have some food waste. Linda suggests separating it and “recycling” it in your own compost bin or pile, at a drop-off site, or using a pickup service. There are many ways to compost, even inside. Numerous resources exist online. Our committee has posted relevant information on Lee’s town website. The town sells bins well below cost for Lee residents and at cost for nonresidents. Lee residents can drop off food waste for free outside the Meadow Farm gate 24/7.
Many resources exist with more tips to help you reduce food waste. This year’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide for Franklin and Hampshire counties has several relevant articles. The tips below come from 2024 articles at Earth911 and in The Washington Post and The Atlantic.
- Plan before shopping: Consider how much you will cook (versus eating out), how much you will eat as leftovers, how well you will stick to a food plan, and how well you will remember to eat food you put in the freezer; know what you have; plan meals; understand when different foods spoil; and avoid buying too much.
- Organize your refrigerator: Store foods separately; remember what you have; increase the humidity setting for vegetables and decrease it for fruit; designate an eat-me-first drawer.
- Freeze food before it goes bad, freeze “scraps” of veggies for soup stock, and buy frozen fruits (almost as nutritious as fresh and last much longer).
- Wash fruits and vegetables only right before eating them.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours.- Understand that expiration dates primarily reflect quality, not food safety, and accept imperfection, such as using less-than-perfect-looking fruits and vegetables in smoothies. Here are a few resources that should help you with this:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a Food Keeper App;
- The Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook by Dana Gunders; and
- EatOrToss.com.
Please reduce food waste. You will eat well, save money, and help the planet. Start with one action and add more as you succeed. Share your successes (and tips) with others. Getting more people on board will increase the positive impact we will have!
I will give Linda the last word. “It’s never a WASTE of time to think about the source of your food, how you use it, and where any waste will end up. You can help the environment by being more conscious of your own food use and composting what you can’t use. It is all about recycling—from soup to nuts!”
