Approximately 63 million tons of food waste was generated in the United States' municipal solid waste stream in 2018. This represented roughly 22 percent of total municipal solid waste generation in the U.S. that year. The average household in the U.S. generates an estimated 19.36 metric tons of food waste per year, one of the highest volumes in the world.
Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018
(in million tons)
* Includes collection of other municipal solid waste organics for composting.
In 2018, the food waste measurement methodology was expanded to include additional sources of generation and management pathways beyond
composting, combustion with energy recovery and landfilling.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 (in million tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 (in million tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed November 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 (in million tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Amount of Food Scraps, Yard Trimmings and Other Waste Generated in U.S. Municipal Solid Waste in 2018 (in Million Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/
Environmental Protection Agency, Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 (in million tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/ (last visited November 23, 2024)
Amount of food scraps, yard trimmings and other waste generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 (in million tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/186338/us-generation-of-food-scraps-yard-trimmings-and-other-wastes/
