How Much Food Americans Waste and What You Can Do

Key Takeaways

• Americans waste 30%-40% of their total food supply each year (USDA, 2024).
• In 2019, the U.S. generated 66 million tons of wasted food, with more than half ending up in landfills. (EPA, 2023).
• The average household loses ≈ $1,500 per year on food that is never eaten
  (NRDC, 2022).
• Food waste produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28x more potent than CO₂ (EPA, 2024).
• ClearDrop’s Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) and Organics Collector (OC) help reduce food waste and food-related soft plastics — one household at a time.
  

Millions of tons of perfectly edible food are thrown away in the United States every year. Add to that all the water, land, fertilizer, energy, and packaging required to produce it. When wasted food ends up in landfills, it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The good news is that small, consistent changes at home can make a meaningful impact. Every household can reduce its environmental footprint with helpful tools, such as Clear Drop’s Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) for responsible soft plastic recycling, and the Organics Collector (OC) for clean food-scrap collection.

The Scale of Food Waste in America

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans waste up to 40% of their total food supply annually (USDA, 2024).

To break this down even more,  in 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that:

• U.S. households and retailers generated 66 million tons of food waste.
• 35 million tons of food waste were landfilled.
• Food became the largest single category of landfill material
  (EPA, 2023).

What Americans Waste Most

Tempted by bulk deals and other discounted offers, Americans tend to overbuy at the grocery store, ending up with rotting produce and expired foods, including:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Dairy
• Baked goods
• Leftovers
• Prepared meals

Remember that nearly all of these products  come packaged in soft plastics, such as  produce bags, bread bags, cereal liners, frozen-food bags, snack wrappers, and cling film.

To save on waste, these materials can be compacted and recycled using the Clear Drop SPC.

Environmental Impact

When food ends up in landfills, it decomposes and  generates methane, a gas that is 28x more potent than CO₂ (EPA, 2024).

Wasted food also wastes:

• 21% of all U.S. freshwater used in agriculture (WWF, 2023)
• 18% of U.S. cropland (Feeding America, 2023)
• Billions of units of packaging materials
• Significant transport and refrigeration energy

There are two easy ways you can lower your food waste footprint to help reduce these numbers:

• Clear Drop’s OC allows you to cleanly collect food scraps so they don’t end up in landfills.
• Clear Drop’s SPC allows you to effectively recycle soft-plastic packaging to be repurposed instead of tossed out.

Common Reasons Food Gets Wasted at Home

A lack of planning and preparation often lead to extra food and packaging waste.

1. Cause: Overbuying and poor planning
   Solution: Create weekly meal plans and shop with a list.
2. Cause: Expiration date confusion
   Solution: Understand “best by,” “use by,” and “sell by” labels (EPA Food Labeling Education).
3. Cause: Improper storage
   Solution: Use airtight containers and humidity-controlled fridge drawers to keep food fresher longer.
4. Cause: Forgotten leftovers
   Solution: Store leftovers in clear containers and rotate regularly.
5. Cause: Packaging accumulation
   Solution: Rinse, dry, and compact food-related soft plastics using the SPC.
   
   

Why Reducing Food Waste Matters

Reducing food waste has wide-reaching benefits:

Lowers emissions

Less food in landfills = less methane released = a measurable climate benefit.

Decreases packaging waste

When you toss out food, you’re also tossing out its packaging, such as:

• Produce bags
• Bread bags
• Shrink wrap
• Snack wrappers
• Frozen-food bags
• Cling film
  

When you have an SPC, you can reduce this extra waste by easily compacting and recycling it.

Supports sustainable living

Clear Drop’s mission is to help households reduce waste in all forms, starting with food scraps and soft plastics. Read more about our mission and products in our educational guides.

Simple Ways To Reduce Food Waste

• Build meal plans and shopping lists to prevent overbuying.
• Store food properly to extend freshness.
• Learn date-label meanings before discarding food.
• Freeze leftovers to prevent spoilage.
• Reuse vegetable scraps or collect them for further composting via the Organics Collector.
• Keep products visible in your fridge and cabinets with clear labeling.
• Recycle all soft-plastic food packaging using the SPC.
  

How Clear Drop Supports Sustainable Living

Clear Drop provides practical tools for reducing household waste, including our:

Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC)

With the SPC, ensure every bread bag, produce bag, snack wrapper, cling film, cereal liner, and frozen-food bag gets properly recycled.

Organics Collector (OC)

With the OC, collect your food scraps without the fuss, mess, or smells. 

Clear Drop Blog

With the Clear Drop Blog, learn more about how to reduce your food and plastic waste and build a cleaner, more sustainable lifestyle. 

Be a Leader in Better Waste Management

Reduce food waste, recycle smarter, and build a sustainable home with Clear Drop’s:

• Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) to reduce soft-plastic waste 
• Organics Collector (OC) to compost cleanly and effectively 
• Educational Blog to learn more about how to live a ZeroTrash lifestyle 

Explore the full ClearDrop system at https://onecleardrop.com.