Food Waste Prevention Week in North Carolina is from April 7-13 this year.
You can help to “Starve the Landfill” by Preventing Food Waste.
Why is this important for Creation Care?
- According to the EPA, more than one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten and food waste is the single largest type of material being landfilled or incinerated.
- When food is wasted, the land, water, energy, and other inputs that are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing the food are wasted as well.
- When food waste decomposes in landfills under anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) conditions, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. The USDA estimates that food waste generates 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
What can you do to reduce food waste?
Understand Food Date Labels. Many food date labels primarily indicate quality, not safety. Here is a quick guide:
- “Best if Used By” or “Best Before”: Indicates when a food product will be at its peak quality (flavor, texture).
- “Use By”: The last recommended date for optimal quality, but the food is generally still safe to eat after this date if handled and stored properly, unless it shows signs of spoilage.
- “Sell By”: Tells retailers how long to display the product for sale, not when it’s unsafe to eat.
- “Expiration Date”: This is a safety date, and the food should be discarded after this date.
Install a backyard compost bin. Many household food waste items can be placed in a backyard compost bin to keep them out of the landfill.
Wake County is offering discounted compost bins during the month of May for $55. Pre-orders can be placed at this website: https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/waste-recycling/outreach-and-education/community-programs/backyard-composting
Donate food to your local food bank. The State of North Carolina estimates that 1 in 8 North Carolinians are food insecure, meaning that they do not have access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet their basic needs. Here in Wake Forest, we are lucky to have the Tri-Area Ministry. Donations are accepted at the pantry during open hours: Mondays and Wednesdays and the second and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We also have a food collection cart at St. John’s.
For more information, follow this link to find information from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality “Use the Food NC” campaign: https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/environmental-assistance-and-customer-service/recycling/use-food-nc/use-food-nc-consumers
