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A few pounds of damaged fruit here, a couple of uneaten sides left behind at a restaurant there. It may not seem like much, but it adds up. In fact, it amounts to nearly one billion tons of wasted food per year globally according to the United Nations Environment Program.
The situation is particularly dire in the United States, where food waste comprises 22% of municipal solid wasteâthe most of any one kind of item. Once in landfill, food produces the potent and harmful greenhouse gas methane. In fact, food waste alone is estimated to account for around 8% of human-related greenhouse gas emissions globally, even more than the airline industry.