USDA estimates that as much as 40% of food is wasted in the US each year. Food waste is the single largest category of material (by weight) deposited in municipal landfills, where it emits methane greenhouse gas. Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 15% of these emissions in 2020, according to the EPA. The methane emissions from MSW landfills in 2020 were approximately equivalent to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from about 20.3 million passenger vehicles driven for one year or the CO2 emissions from nearly 11.9 million homes’ energy use for one year.
Source: EPA.gov