The Environmental Impact of Food Waste and What You Can Do

Roughly 40% of food produced in the United States goes to waste, generating millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions in landfills every year. The environmental toll is enormous, but the solution starts in your own kitchen.

## The Scale of the Problem

- 80 million tons of food wasted annually in the US
- Food waste accounts for 24% of landfill mass
- Wasted food generates 18% of US methane emissions
- It takes 25% of all freshwater used in the US to grow food that gets thrown away

## The Methane Factor

When food decomposes in landfills without oxygen, it produces methane — a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Food waste is the single largest source of methane emissions from US landfills.

## What You Can Do

### Plan Meals
Planning meals before shopping is the most impactful individual action. It directly reduces the amount of food you buy and don't use.

### Track Your Pantry
Digital pantry tracking ensures you know what you have and use it before it spoils.

### Compost
For food that truly can't be eaten, composting keeps it out of landfills and turns it into nutrient-rich soil.

### Buy What You Need
Resist bulk buying unless you're certain you'll use everything. A deal isn't a deal if half goes to waste.

### Support Food Recovery
Donate excess food to food banks or use apps that connect you with nearby food recovery programs.

## How ShelfCents Helps

By combining AI meal planning, digital pantry tracking, and expiry monitoring, ShelfCents directly addresses the root causes of household food waste. Users consistently report 25-40% reduction in food waste after adopting the platform.