Food waste is a problem most of us don't seem to think about. Between 33-50% of all food is globally never eaten and the value of all this waste is over $1 trillion. There are many ways we can reduce the amount of food we eat and save money. Start by using spoiled food first, being realistic about how much you need, and eat leftovers. If you really want to help reduce food waste, you could avoid using the trash completely. Instead, compost or share the leftover food you still have. All these ways will help contribute to a world with less food waste.

I agree that we waste way too much food in the US. I think the easiest way to stop wasting food is to buy as much as you need. There is a misconception that if your fridge is not full of food then you don't have enough food but really you don't need a completely full fridge because some of it will be thrown out. Also, most people don't realize how much food is being thrown out and I think people need to get the word out.

I also notice this high amount of food that we waste, Michaela. One reason for this is because people don't think rationally when serving themselves and others. In most cases, one can always go back for a second serving of food if they would like more, but if they initially serve themselves too much, then that food ends up going to waste. Not only is this waste detrimental to the ecosystem, but also it then becomes expensive to buy more food, then this entire cycle happens again. As you mentioned, this leftover food sometimes does not even make it into compost, which also does not help the efficiency of our carbon footprints.