It’s A First!

Did you know that last week, the U.S. set its first goal to reduce food waste? The EPA and USDA teamed up to announce a goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. Check out the press release.

We think that’s awesome, since nearly one-third of the food we produce in this country gets wasted. That is horrible. For one, there are too many hungry people lacking nutrition. Second, when food goes to a landfill, it rots and emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

We fully support feeding the hungry with safe, edible leftover food. For food that is “odds and ends” like vegetable scraps, spoiled, or left over after someone finished their dinner, we think composting is the way to go. Not only does composting reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it also creates valuable soil amendment that can be used to grow more plants. And the benefits of composting don’t end there. Soil treated with compost has been shown to provide a more productive environment for plants, requiring less water and fertilizer, reducing run-off and erosion, and resulting in healthier vegetation.

Sadly, we don’t have enough composting infrastructure in this country. We hope this goal will shine a light on the opportunity we have to expand access to composting. Being more of an advocate on this issue is one of the goals Eco-Products^® set in our 2015 sustainability report. Read more about those efforts or check out the full report.

Are you a fan of composting too? If you’re lucky, you can find one in your community at www.findacomposter.com. We also encourage anyone to check out the U.S. Composting Council’s Grassroots Action Center for information on campaigns in your area.

If you have any questions contact our Sustainability Maven at sustainabilitymaven@ecoproducts.com.