Americans are still putting way too much food into landfills. Local officials seek EPA’s help

By MELINA WALLING
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — A pair of recent reports from the Environmental Protection Agency put striking numbers on America’s problem with food waste. One-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten, and 58% of planet-warming methane emitted from U.S. landfills comes from decomposing food. That’s why over 50 local lawmakers wrote to the EPA on Tuesday to ask the agency to scale up programs that help cities divert food from landfills. The EPA says these reports represent an important step in defining the problem, but that the U.S. is still a long way off from its goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030. That’s a benchmark that will require a significant shift in mindset from producers and consumers alike.