Did you know that the United States generates a staggering 294 million tons of trash annually, with about half of it going straight to landfills? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food waste is the most common material found in landfills, leading to the release of methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases. Food waste expert Dana Gunders, director of the national non-profit ReFED, says the climate footprint of food waste is even larger than the entire aviation industry!
But don’t worry. There’s a simple solution that can help reduce at least one-third of food waste: composting. By composting your table scraps instead of tossing them into the garbage, you can significantly cut down on the methane emissions resulting from trapped food in landfills. While the waste still releases some carbon dioxide during decomposition, it’s far less harmful than the methane produced in landfill conditions.
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