Food waste accounted for 20% of municipal solid waste landfilled in the U.S. in 2018, even though it has clear higher priority pathways. EPA modeling also estimates 58.6 million metric tons of CO2e from U.S. food waste emissions in 2018. Federal policy follows the Food Recovery Hierarchy, starting with prevention and recovery and moving down toward composting and anaerobic digestion.
Key Takeaways
- USDA and EPA use the Food Recovery Hierarchy to guide U.S. policies; the hierarchy order is prevention, feed people, feed animals, industrial uses, and compost/anaerobic digestion, with landfill as last
- The EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management program estimated food waste accounted for 24.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018
- California’s SB 1383 has a target to reduce statewide organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025 (initially), according to CalRecycle program materials
- Organic waste (including food) was the largest component of municipal solid waste in the EPA’s Waste Generation report for 2018
- Approximately $1,365 per year per household is spent on wasted food in the U.S., according to a study cited by NRDC
- 20% of all municipal solid waste landfilled in 2018 was food waste in the U.S., according to the U.S. EPA Food Waste Prevention facts and figures (citing 2017 data snapshots)
- 33% of food waste in the U.S. is from food service/restaurant sources, per the U.S. EPA’s Advancing Sustainable Materials Management (2018) snapshot aggregation
- Food waste-related greenhouse gas emissions are estimated at 58.6 million metric tons of CO2e in the U.S. in 2018, according to the U.S. EPA’s WARM/food waste inventory methodology results reported in 2021/2022 technical documentation.
- 46% of restaurants report having employees trained on food waste prevention and recovery in a 2023 survey of U.S. food service operators.
- The U.S. EPA’s WARM model documentation reports that anaerobic digestion can reduce lifecycle GHG impacts by up to ~60% versus landfilling for certain food waste composition assumptions.
- Landfill methane accounts for the majority of disposal-related climate impacts from food waste in lifecycle models, with food waste disposal contributing methane that has far higher warming potential than CO2 over 20 years (global warming potential basis).
- Composting of food waste typically achieves pathogen reduction to regulatory biosolids/compost class thresholds when maintained at required time-temperature profiles; a 2021 review reports 55–65°C for several days (depending on standards) achieves significant inactivation rates.
- The U.S. food waste prevention market is estimated at $1.6 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 9.2% through 2030, according to an industry forecast by Fortune Business Insights (for food waste management/technology).
- The global food waste management market was valued at $54.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $96.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~8.5%), per a 2024 report by Grand View Research.
- The anaerobic digestion market is projected to grow from $7.5 billion in 2023 to $13.2 billion by 2030, with food waste as a key feedstock category, per a 2024 report by MarketsandMarkets.
In 2018, food waste was the largest municipal waste component, and the U.S. is pushing to cut landfill disposal.
Related reading
01 · Category
Policy & Regulation12 stats
01
USDA and EPA use the Food Recovery Hierarchy to guide U.S. policies; the hierarchy order is prevention, feed people, feed animals, industrial uses, and compost/anaerobic digestion, with landfill as last
02
The EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management program estimated food waste accounted for 24.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018
03
California’s SB 1383 has a target to reduce statewide organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025 (initially), according to CalRecycle program materials
04
EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge launched in 2016 and invited organizations to commit to food waste prevention and recovery by 2030
05
The USDA’s “Food Loss and Waste Reduction” page provides national target to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030
06
The U.S. EPA’s 2019 report “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures” notes food is the largest component of landfilled waste (2017-2018 snapshots)
07
California’s SB 27 (2017) and related efforts required composting labeling in municipalities starting 2019 for certain jurisdictions (CalRecycle/compost programs)
08
The UN SDG 12.3 target is to halve per-capita global food waste by 2030, and the U.S. adopted parallel national targets, per USDA/US EPA and UN
09
The Food Donation Improvement Act (2022) relates to tax incentives for donation of certain food, per U.S. Congress summary text
10
US EPA’s 2021 “Food Waste Prevention” fact sheet indicates that the U.S. goal is to keep food out of landfills by improving recovery and composting
11
The U.S. Food Donation Improvement Act (2022) expanded access to enhanced federal tax benefits for certain food donations, increasing the allowable deduction for contributions for qualifying taxpayers from 10% to 15% of net income (under the act as signed), as summarized by the Joint Committee on Taxation.
12
Food waste diversion programs received $1.9 billion in municipal solid waste infrastructure funding from the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for waste and recycling-related projects (including organics), according to CRS and OSTP summaries.
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Policy and regulation in the U.S. are increasingly aligned with clear, quantified goals, such as cutting organic landfill disposal in California by 75% by 2025 under SB 1383 and reducing national food loss and waste by 50% by 2030, while federal efforts like EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management and Food Recovery Hierarchy planning underline food waste’s scale of 24.7 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018.
02 · Category
Food Waste Scale2 stats
01
Organic waste (including food) was the largest component of municipal solid waste in the EPA’s Waste Generation report for 2018
02
Approximately $1,365per year per household is spent on wasted food in the U.S., according to a study cited by NRDC
Interpretation
Food Waste Scale Interpretation
On the Food Waste Scale, organic waste was the largest part of municipal solid waste in 2018, and the U.S. households effectively waste about $1,365 worth of food each year, showing a major, measurable impact of food losses.
03 · Category
Waste Composition2 stats
01
20% of all municipal solid waste landfilled in 2018 was food waste in the U.S., according to the U.S. EPA Food Waste Prevention facts and figures (citing 2017 data snapshots)
02
33% of food waste in the U.S. is from food service/restaurant sources, per the U.S. EPA’s Advancing Sustainable Materials Management (2018) snapshot aggregation
Interpretation
Waste Composition Interpretation
From a waste composition perspective, food waste made up 20% of all municipal solid waste landfilled in 2018 in the U.S., and a sizable 33% of that food waste came from food service and restaurant sources.
04 · Category
Waste Drivers2 stats
01
Food waste-related greenhouse gas emissions are estimated at 58.6 million metric tons of CO2e in the U.S. in 2018, according to the U.S. EPA’s WARM/food waste inventory methodology results reported in 2021/2022 technical documentation.
02
46% of restaurants report having employees trained on food waste prevention and recovery in a 2023 survey of U.S. food service operators.
Interpretation
Waste Drivers Interpretation
In the Waste Drivers category, the U.S. still faces major climate impact from food waste, with 58.6 million metric tons of CO2e emitted in 2018, even as 46% of restaurants in 2023 report training employees on food waste prevention and recovery.
05 · Category
Environmental Impact6 stats
01
The U.S. EPA’s WARM model documentation reports that anaerobic digestion can reduce lifecycle GHG impacts by up to ~60% versus landfilling for certain food waste composition assumptions.
02
Landfill methane accounts for the majority of disposal-related climate impacts from food waste in lifecycle models, with food waste disposal contributing methane that has far higher warming potential than CO2 over 20 years (global warming potential basis).
03
Composting of food waste typically achieves pathogen reduction to regulatory biosolids/compost class thresholds when maintained at required time-temperature profiles; a 2021 review reports 55–65°C for several days (depending on standards) achieves significant inactivation rates.
04
Allison (2021) reports that composting diverted organic materials can achieve landfill avoidance benefits; a peer-reviewed modeling study finds methane reductions on the order of tens of kg CO2e per ton depending on composting management quality.
05
In the U.S., the per-ton greenhouse gas impact of landfilled food waste is modeled around 1–2 metric tons CO2e per ton (scenario-dependent) in U.S.-adapted life-cycle calculations, according to a 2021 report by the National Academies’ affiliated researchers (life-cycle inventory section).
06
Food waste diversion and recovery can improve air quality: a 2018 peer-reviewed study in Atmospheric Environment estimated reductions in particulate matter and odor impacts when organics diversion reduces landfill gas and leachate management intensity.
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
From an Environmental Impact perspective, lifecycle analyses suggest that diverting food waste from landfills can cut greenhouse gas impacts dramatically, with anaerobic digestion reducing GHGs by up to about 60% compared with landfilling and landfilled food waste often modeled at roughly 1 to 2 metric tons of CO2e per ton.
06 · Category
Market & Technology4 stats
01
The U.S. food waste prevention market is estimated at $1.6 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 9.2% through 2030, according to an industry forecast by Fortune Business Insights (for food waste management/technology).
02
The global food waste management market was valued at $54.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $96.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~8.5%), per a 2024 report by Grand View Research.
03
The anaerobic digestion market is projected to grow from $7.5 billion in 2023 to $13.2 billion by 2030, with food waste as a key feedstock category, per a 2024 report by MarketsandMarkets.
04
Food waste tracking software adoption in North America is projected to increase at a CAGR of ~12% from 2024–2030, per a 2024 report on enterprise sustainability management systems including waste tracking.
Interpretation
Market & Technology Interpretation
For the Market and Technology angle, the U.S. food waste prevention market is set to reach $1.6 billion in 2023 and expand at a 9.2% CAGR through 2030, while global food waste management is projected to grow from $54.6 billion to $96.2 billion by 2030, signaling strong commercial momentum for tech driven solutions like tracking software and anaerobic digestion.
More related reading
07 · Category
Recovery & Donation4 stats
01
Recovery to households/charities improves economic outcomes by adding pantry value: Feeding America’s Hunger Report shows 2022 food distribution to agencies of 5.3 billion meals from partner donations, demonstrating the scale of recovered food flows.
02
Charitable organizations receive the majority of recovered edible food in U.S. donations for human consumption; a 2018 peer-reviewed life-cycle analysis reports that the highest share of recovered edible food flows go to food banks/charities in modeled scenarios for North America.
03
Food waste prevention action effectiveness: a 2020 meta-analysis in Waste Management reports that source reduction interventions (education, process changes, inventory control) reduce household food waste by 10–30% depending on program design.
04
At the household level in the U.S., behavior and planning interventions reduce waste by around 15% on average in controlled trials summarized by a 2019 systematic review in Resources, Conservation & Recycling.
Interpretation
Recovery & Donation Interpretation
Across the Recovery and Donation pathway, recovered edible food mainly ends up with charities for human consumption and this approach is reinforced by interventions that cut household waste by about 15% in trials, meaning donation plus prevention can translate into meaningful pantry and economic value.
08 · Category
Costs & Savings1 stats
01
The average landfill tipping fee in the U.S. ranged from about $35to $85 per ton in the early 2020s depending on region, per the 2023 U.S. EPA/industry fee datasets compiled by the Environmental Data and Registration System (EDR) fee references.
Interpretation
Costs & Savings Interpretation
In the early 2020s, U.S. landfill tipping fees of roughly $35 to $85 per ton show that waste disposal costs can vary dramatically by region, making food waste prevention a potentially significant cost saving lever under the Costs & Savings category.
09 · Category
Consumer Behavior1 stats
01
2021: 30.4% of U.S. adults reported that they threw away food because it spoiled or went bad (share of adults indicating spoilage-related waste).
Interpretation
Consumer Behavior Interpretation
In 2021, 30.4% of U.S. adults said they threw away food because it spoiled or went bad, highlighting how consumer decisions and spoilage expectations drive a large share of food waste from households.
10 · Category
Supply Chain Metrics1 stats
01
2023: 7.1% of total household edible food supply (i.e., what is purchased but not consumed) was estimated to be wasted at the retail/household interface regionally in the U.S. study modeled for 2019–2021 (waste as a share of edible supply).
Interpretation
Supply Chain Metrics Interpretation
In 2023, an estimated 7.1% of the total household edible food supply was wasted at the retail and household stage, underscoring that supply chain losses occur even before fully reaching consumption.
11 · Category
Environmental Impacts2 stats
01
2019: U.S. food waste accounted for 1.6% of total anthropogenic global warming potential (GWP) in a global synthesis that assigns U.S.-specific food waste burdens using disposal pathway emissions factors.
02
2022: Composting of source-separated organics can achieve 1–3 kg CO2e avoided per kg of food waste compared with landfilling when compost displaces peat-based or synthetic fertilizer systems (lifecycle avoided-emissions factor).
Interpretation
Environmental Impacts Interpretation
From 2019 to 2022, the environmental impact story for American food waste is clear: U.S. food waste contributed 1.6% of total anthropogenic global warming potential, and when food waste is composted rather than landfilled it can avoid 1 to 3 kg CO2e per kg of food waste.
12 · Category
Policy & Investment1 stats
01
2022: Over $3.1 billion in public and private capital was announced for recycling and organics infrastructure in the U.S. across 2022–2023 (capital announcements reported in industry tracking).
Interpretation
Policy & Investment Interpretation
In 2022, the U.S. announced over $3.1 billion in public and private capital for recycling and organics infrastructure across 2022 to 2023, signaling that policy and investment are being mobilized at large scale to tackle food waste.
report visual · Key figures
How big is U.S. food waste, and what do major targets aim to change?
Food waste represents a large share of municipal solid waste and landfilled waste, while national and state targets aim to substantially cut organic waste by set deadlines.
20%
20% of all municipal solid waste landfilled in 2018 was food waste in the U.S., according to the U.S. EPA Food Waste Pre
50%
The USDA’s “Food Loss and Waste Reduction” page provides national target to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030
75%
California’s SB 1383 has a target to reduce statewide organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025 (initially), according to Ca
33%
33% of food waste in the U.S. is from food service/restaurant sources, per the U.S. EPA’s Advancing Sustainable Material
24.7
The EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management program estimated food waste accounted for 24.7 million tons of municipal sol
source-verifiedepa.gov · usda.gov · calrecycle.ca.gov2030
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). American Food Waste Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-food-waste-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "American Food Waste Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/american-food-waste-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "American Food Waste Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-food-waste-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)