NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every year, Americans throw out tons of food, translating to billions of dollars lost and millions of meals winding up in landfills or otherwise wasted.
It's something that continues to be of concern in the United States, with some studies indicating a broad range of environmental impacts from the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills, including air pollutants, soil and water quality degradation, and more.
Amid the June 2024 release of a detailed report from the White House on a national strategy for reducing food waste, researchers with Trace One set out to see just how much U.S. households are losing to food waste each year.
In their study, researchers used data from ReFED.org’s Food Waste Monitor, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index to determine both financial losses and the number of meals uneaten.
In Tennessee alone, their analysis showed that residents spend nearly $2,175 a year on food that ends up uneaten. Per person, that amounts to an annual loss of about $878 to food waste and at least 247 wasted meals.
While those numbers may seem high, Tennessee ranks 19th in the nation when it comes to the amount of money lost to food waste. According to Trace One, New Hampshire households have some of the most food waste, with around $3,363 spent on uneaten food each year.
Nearby states like Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut also rank in the top 10. In general, western states tend to lose less money to food waste, with states like Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon all having levels of food waste below the national average.
On average, U.S. households lose around $2,033 per year to food waste, while individuals lose an average of $792 — the equivalent of 214 meals. The residential sector is responsible for the majority of food waste in the U.S., with most of it attributed to food that has spoiled or been left out too long.
In Tennessee, researchers estimate that only about 29.3% of food waste is composted. The other 70.7% winds up in landfills, sewers, or incinerators. According to officials in Nashville and Davidson County, nearly 80% of residents' waste goes to landfills, and that amount has been increasing over the years.
As a result, city leaders have been exploring ways to divert waste from landfills. In 2023, the Metro Nashville Council adopted a resolution supporting a community-wide target of a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030. An initiative that officials believe could help play a role in that goal kicked off shortly after.
Last October, Metro Nashville leaders launched a year-long pilot program offering free curbside food scraps pick-up services for around 750 households. In the first 24 weeks of the program, 52.2 tons of food waste was kept out of landfills.
“I think we have more and more people in Nashville that want to be more sustainable,” Zero Waste Program Manager Jenn Harrman told News 2 a month before the pilot launched. “Anecdotally, the issues with trash as well, and knowing that landfills are filling up, I think folks recognize that we need to do something different.”
The full impacts of the program remain to be seen once the pilot phase comes to an end. However, the city encourages residents to also take their own steps to reduce waste by composting in their own backyards or dropping off food scraps at one of Nashville's four Recycling and Waste Items Convenience Centers.
To view Trace One's full study on food waste in the U.S., click here.