15 Regions Leading the Way in Fighting Food Waste
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Pulling rotten produce out of the fridge to throw in the trash a week after an ambitious shopping trip. With grocery prices up nearly 30% since 2020, food waste creates huge costs for your home and the environment.
“About 40% of food waste happens at home, so it’s important to pay attention,” said Adam Lowy, founder and executive director of Move For Hunger. “Use what’s in your fridge, embrace ‘bad’ produce, and get creative with leftovers.”
LawnStarter has ranked the states that waste the least food.
We compared 50 states based on a total of 37 metrics. We considered each state’s most recent data on food waste by sector from ReFED (the national non-profit food waste organization) – specifically, residential, farm, food service, retail, and manufacturing.
We also considered food waste recycling rates and reduction efforts such as food waste disposal bans, food sharing programs, and composting sites. Want to see the full breakdown? Check out our way at the end.
Why does LawnStarter care about food waste? Your food scraps can easily be turned into compost, a natural fertilizer to feed your lawn and garden. Check out more food waste and composting information in “Out of the Bin: US Composting Statistics, Policies, and Roadblocks.”
15. Nebraska
- Total Score: 56.40
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 17
- Less Household Food Waste: 23
- Most Processed Foods: 4
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 44
14. Minnesota
- Total Score: 56.40
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 24
- Less Household Food Waste: 18
- Most Processed Foods: 7
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 20
13. New Mexico
- Total Score: 56.96
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 12
- Less Household Food Waste: 10
- Most Processed Foods: 43
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 27
12. In Hawaii
- Total Score: 57.19
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 14
- Less Household Food Waste: 1
- Most Processed Foods: 47
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 30
11. Maine
- Total Score: 57.85
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 11
- Less Household Food Waste: 15
- Most Processed Foods: 25
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 36
10. Washington
- Total Score: 59.96
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 8
- Less Household Food Waste: 6
- Most Processed Foods: 23
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 31
9. New York
- Total Score: 62.45
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 10
- Less Household Food Waste: 29
- Most Processed Foods: 15
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 5
8. North Dakota
- Total Score: 64.51
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 9
- Less Household Food Waste: 28
- Most Processed Foods: 1
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 49
7. Oregon
- Total Score: 65.97
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 5
- Less Household Food Waste: 4
- Most Processed Foods: 13
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 33
6. New Jersey
- Total Score: 67.44
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 7
- Less Household Food Waste: 14
- Most Processed Foods: 8
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 4
5. Maryland
- Total Score: 68.92
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 4
- Less Household Food Waste: 9
- Most Processed Foods: 10
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 13
4. Vermont
- Total Score: 71.28
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 3
- Less Household Food Waste: 7
- Most Processed Foods: 18
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 8
3. Massachusetts
- Total Score: 73.02
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 6
- Less Household Food Waste: 5
- Most Processed Foods: 6
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 1
2. Rhode Island
- Total Score: 75.25
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 2
- Less Household Food Waste: 2
- Most Processed Foods: 12
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 6
1. Connecticut
- Total Score: 78.25
- Small Commercial and Industrial Waste: 1
- Less Household Food Waste: 3
- Most Processed Foods: 9
- More Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: 2
How to do it
To rank the states that waste the least food, we compared all 50 states across 37 metrics.
Our metrics are organized into four main categories:
- Minimum Commercial and Industrial Food Disposal (about 59%): We considered the total amount of food wasted, the amount of bulk food produced, the percentage of food wasted, and year-to-year changes in the manufacturing, food service, and retail sectors. In the agricultural sector, we considered the total amount of food waste, the amount of bulk food produced, and year-to-year changes.
- Minimum Household Food Waste (about 17%): We looked at the total amount of food wasted, the percentage of food wasted, the amount of food wasted, and the year-to-year changes in the residential sector.
- Most Processed Foods (about 13%): We examined the total amount of food and the percentage of food recycled through composting, anaerobic digestion, and animal feed, in addition to year-to-year changes.
- Many Efforts to Reduce Food Waste (about 11%): We factored in the presence of food waste prevention, food sharing programs, access to composting facilities and anaerobic digestion facilities per 1,000 sq. mi., and a number of food waste solution providers.
Finally, we calculated the score (out of 100 points) for each region to determine its ranking in each factor, category, and overall. A state’s overall score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories.
