Why should we care about reducing food waste?
One third of all food made for human consumption is lost or wasted, according to the Food & Agriculture Organization (1).
And as of 2020, food losses and waste accounted for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2). If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest global emitter, behind the United States and China (Ibid).
While food losses and waste occur throughout the food supply chain, at least 9% of food emissions comes from food that is "thrown away." When food scraps and other organic materials are buried in landfills, they undergo "anaerobic decomposition" and release methane, a greenhouse gas which is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (3).
Thus, reducing food waste is a powerful way to address climate change by reducing emissions!
And as of 2020, food losses and waste accounted for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2). If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest global emitter, behind the United States and China (Ibid).
While food losses and waste occur throughout the food supply chain, at least 9% of food emissions comes from food that is "thrown away." When food scraps and other organic materials are buried in landfills, they undergo "anaerobic decomposition" and release methane, a greenhouse gas which is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (3).
Thus, reducing food waste is a powerful way to address climate change by reducing emissions!
How does compost come into play?
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The most sustainable way to handle food waste is to not waste food in the first place! But what should you do your with recipes-gone-wrong, vegetable peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds?
The EPA has created a handy "food recovery hierarchy" to help you answer this very question (4). As you can see, composting is actually one of the lowest priority actions! But if you've tried other avenues and come up short, composting your food scraps is essential for keeping organics out of landfill and creating a regenerative soil amendment that can be used in gardens and agricultural settings. |
Infographic from our Instagram!
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Why is compost a regenerative resource?
There's a reason compost is called "black gold" by composting practitioners!
Finished compost can be used to restore depleted soils by improving water and oxygen retention, buffering against erosion, encouraging root growth, increasing soil biodiversity by contributing a rich community of microorganisms, helping defend against soil disease, and serving as a pH buffer (5). Compost is seriously amazing stuff!
Finished compost can be used to restore depleted soils by improving water and oxygen retention, buffering against erosion, encouraging root growth, increasing soil biodiversity by contributing a rich community of microorganisms, helping defend against soil disease, and serving as a pH buffer (5). Compost is seriously amazing stuff!
Links referenced
(1) https://en.reset.org/knowledge/global-food-waste-and-its-environmental-impact-09122018#:~:text=An%20estimated%201.3%20billion%20tonnes,FAO)%20of%20the%20United%20Nations
(2) https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions
(3) https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight
(4) www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
(5) www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/garden-compost-benefits.htm
(2) https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions
(3) https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight
(4) www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy
(5) www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/garden-compost-benefits.htm