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Food Waste is a Big Deal
Food waste is the single largest component going into municipal landfills
According to a 2016, large-scale study conducted by ReFED, “…the United States spends over $218 billion – 1.3% of GDP – growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food that is never eaten”.
This is food that is sent to the landfill by farms, manufacturers, grocers, restaurants, and homes- much of which isn’t ever harvested, totaling approximately 63 million TONS of wasted food each year.
Food waste in landfills quickly generates methane, helping to make landfills the third largest source of methane in the United States. This amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change.
But there's an easy solution!
The Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects donors from liability when food and grocery products are donated in good faith to nonprofits who feed those in need.
It's because of this legislation and the generosity of our food donors, that we at Waste Not are able to collect and deliver so much good food to those who need it.
Together, We're Making A Difference
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One ton of food diverted from disposal to those in need through small-scale operations, like Waste Not, generates $2,294 of economic value. In 2019, Waste Not diverted 963 TONS of food from our landfills, equating to $2,210,109 of economic value for our society by means of increases in food service business’ profits due to efficient inventory, spoilage management, and food donation tax incentives, as well as reductions in governmental spending on waste management practices, all of which apply to our local Valley economy (source: www.refed.com).