EPA is launching the Feed It Onward campaign in order to tackle food waste and reduce methane emissions.
Feed It Onward is a new EPA initiative that provides a national platform to spotlight farmers, businesses, nonprofits, military partners, and communities that ensure good food is distributed to communities in need, rather than sent to landfills.
In the United States, more than one-third of all food goes uneaten and is discarded. This creates a huge impact on the environment, local waste infrastructure, and families’ budgets. Nationally, food waste has become the largest part of what goes into landfills—more than any other type of trash.
Key Statistics from EPAs 2025 Report:
- $728 – Average annual food waste cost per person
- $2,913 – Average annual food waste cost for a family of four
- 11% – Percentage of household food spending that is wasted
- Over 133 billion pounds of food wasted annually
- Millions of families struggling with food insecurity
- $3,000 per family lost to food waste each year
Zooming in on counties—which largely own and operate this waste infrastructure—food waste is a significant source of harmful emissions, including methane. Methane is a potent driver of climate change and is a serious cost drive for local landfill operators. If successful, Feed It Onward may provide communities with multiple benefits, reducing hunger and harmful emissions.
Read more about Feed It Onward.
Read EPA’s Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers, April 2025 Report.
