Do you toss left over or spoiled food into the garbage on a weekly basis? You’re not alone. Many municipalities are finding that food waste is a significant contributor to the organic material portion of the municipal solid waste stream, mostly generated from residents at-home.
In the U.S., almost half of food waste is generated from consumer and residential sources, according to a 2012 Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) study. The remaining food waste comes from restaurants (37%), institutions such as schools and hospitals (22%), manufacturers (3%), and retailers (2%).
In Canada, 47% of food waste occurs at home. This means that each household throws away $28 worth of food weekly or $1,456 annually.
