Reduce Household Food Waste

WHY IT MATTERS

Overall, an estimated 40% of food in the United States goes to waste.¹ In Chicago, an estimated 59% of all food waste comes from residential settings.² When we fail to put food to its most productive use (i.e. consume, donate, or compost), we create two problems: (1) underutilized resources and (2) environmental degradation. First, when we fail to donate food that will go uneaten, we miss an opportunity to help reduce food insecurity for our neighbors. Additionally, discarded edible food squanders both the resources to produce the food and the resources to haul away and dispose of it. There is tremendous energy spent to grow, process, transport, and eventually dispose of wasted food. All of these steps require water, fertilizer, packaging, labor, and climate-wrecking, greenhouse gas emissions.³ Second, a large majority of food waste ends up in landfills. As the food decomposes, it creates methane, which destroys the environment by warming the planet, decreasing air quality, and contributing to extreme weather events.⁴ Whether to help fight food insecurity or slow the pace of climate change, the City should put more emphasis on reducing food waste.

HOW IT WORKS

The Food Waste Matters Workgroup (FWMW) should roll out a public education campaign that includes a website, marketing materials, and community partnerships.

• Website: The FWMW should create a website with more information about food waste. This would include links and articles from preexisting organizations and agencies (i.e. EPA, NRDC, and Greater Chicago Food Depository). There should also be a section for local organizations to tap into local resources.
• Marketing: The FWMW should roll out a marketing campaign on reducing food waste. The promotional materials can be based on existing programs from across the country. This includes “Save the Food,” which already has a commercial, posters, outreach pamphlets, fact sheets, and more.⁵ One option for branding is a “Keep Me Out Of Landfills” campaign. It would include calls to action that depict food and its associated food waste reduction action. Examples include:
  • “Donate Me” (donate edible yet uneaten food)
  • “Store Me” (extend shelf life through proper food storage techniques)
  • “Compost Me” (compost food scraps)
• Community Partnerships: Partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, CPL, CPS, and faith communities to expand the reach of the campaign and close equity gaps with insufficient tech at home.

WHAT'S NEXT

• Create a City website with more information about food waste strategies.
• Create a database of local organizations that are fighting food waste and food insecurity through food donation and diversion (i.e. food rescue, composting, diverting to farms).
• Update and use existing “Save the Food” marketing materials for posters and placards.
• Partner with organizations to promote the work they’re already doing across Chicago.

SOURCES

1. Natural Resources Defense Council. 2nd Edition of “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill” https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-2017-report.pdf.
2. University of Illinois-Chicago. “Chicago Waste Generation and Characterization Update 2010-2020” https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/progs/env/Chicago-Waste-Strategy/UIC-Report-7.12.21.pdf.
3. Natural Resources Defense Council. “Food Waste: What’s At Stake” https://www.nrdc.org/food-waste.
4. Environmental Defense Fund. “Methane: A crucial opportunity in the climate fight” https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight.
5. Save the Food. “Partner Kit” https://savethefood.com/partner-kit/