reknowable_resources Food waste is a huge problem, taking up almost a quarter of US landfills, and it comes with equally massive costs. When food gets wasted, so do all the resources that go into producing it—land, water, energy, and labor, to name a few. We also need to grow more to keep up with demand, and can’t forget about the greenhouse gases produced by food waste sitting in landfills.

Increased resource demands and climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions negatively impact the environment, our financial security, and our health and well-being. Fortunately, addressing the hidden costs of food waste begins with three easy-to-remember steps: awareness, education, and action.

Talking about these hidden costs raises awareness—and we can only do something about issues that we all know exist! Education can drive understanding that food waste costs aren’t just numbers on a page—they have real environmental, health, and financial impacts. Actions to reduce food waste include preventing it as the first priority, then recovery or donation, and finally upcycling, recycling, and composting whenever possible.