Food waste has a significant, long-lasting effect on the environment, economy, and society. When food is wasted, the food not only goes to waste, but also the resources used to produce, transport, and package it are as well. 1.3 billion tons of food sustainable for human consumption is lost or wasted every year. 

With food waste, the environment worsens. There is an increased amount of greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. “Food waste builds up in landfills and creates methane, a greenhouse gas. It also stops the nutrients from cycling, so those nutrients will never be cycled back into the environment. It’s lost forever.” said teacher Christine Webster. 

There is not one cause for food waste. People waste food for reasons like unintentionally buying more than needed, overproduction, improper storage or expiration dates, and consumer behavior. Sometimes, food may also be wasted due to aesthetic standards.

 “People get sick of their food and they just throw it away, or people do not have enough time to finish their food and it results in them throwing it away,” said Senior Arika Markovich. Plenty of kids in the school take the easy way out, and if they don’t finish their lunch, they just throw it away because what else are you supposed to do with it? 

Food waste can also impact people socially. Food waste may contribute to food insecurity and hunger. In America, food is plentiful. There is more food than one knows what to do with. What about other countries? “I doubt there is food waste in other parts of the world where it is scarce,” said Webster. Drawing a blind eye when it comes to food waste is detrimental. Having the privilege of just having more food than one needs is taken for granted. 

Preventing food waste is a simple task, but may be difficult to incorporate into an everyday routine. “Compost what you don’t eat. Take only what you can eat. We are wasteful because we can be,” said Webster. By taking small steps to prevent constant food waste, soon it will not seem like such a large task and will become natural. 

The staggering amount of food that goes to waste each year not only contributes to environmental degradation but also to food insecurity and economic inefficiencies. Individuals, businesses, and society as a whole must take proactive measures to reduce food waste. By addressing this issue, a more sustainable food system will be created for future generations.