Food waste is piling up in the US with Americans tossing out around 80 billion lbs. of food or 36 million tons each year, a new study finds.
The survey of 500 people in the US found that 77% of respondents said they felt guilty about throwing away food. But 51% said they thought it would be difficult to reduce their food waste, seeker.com reported.
In addition to being a waste of resources, throwing away food has a negative impact on the environment, according to the study, published on Saturday (July 21) in the journal PLOS ONE.
Indeed, food waste is the largest source of solid waste in the US, accounting for 35.2 million tons of solid waste, researchers wrote. It is also the most significant source of greenhouse gases from solid waste, Brian Roe, a co-author of the study and a professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University, said in a statement.
