Editor’s note: This story was originally published here lawnstarter.
Taking out wilted produce from the fridge and throwing it in the trash a week after an ambitious shopping trip. With grocery prices increasing nearly 30% since 2020, food waste is a huge cost to both your household and the environment.
“About 40% of food waste happens in the home, so it’s important to be mindful,” says Adam Lowery, founder and executive director of Move for Hunger. “Use what’s in your fridge, embrace ‘ugly’ products, and get creative with leftovers.”
LawnStarter has ranked the states with the least food waste.
We compared 50 states based on a total of 37 metrics. We considered each state’s most recent food waste data from ReFED (a national food waste nonprofit) – specifically, residential, agriculture, food service, retail, and manufacturing.
We also considered rates of food waste recycling and mitigation efforts such as food waste disposal restrictions, food sharing programs, and composting facilities. Want to see the full breakdown? Finally check out our methodology.
Why does LawnStarter care about food waste? Your leftover food can easily be turned into compost, an organic fertilizer to nourish your lawn and garden. “Find out more about food waste and composting”Beyond the Bin: US Composting Statistics, Policies, and Barriers“
15.Nebraska
- overall score: 56.40
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 17
- Minimum household food waste: 23
- Most Food Recycled: 4
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 44
14. Minnesota
- overall score: 56.40
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 24
- Minimum household food waste: 18
- Most Food Recycled: 7
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 20
13. New Mexico
- overall score: 56.96
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 12
- Minimum household food waste: 10
- Most Food Recycled: 43
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 27
12. Hawaii
- overall score: 57.19
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 14
- Minimum household food waste: 1
- Most Food Recycled: 47
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 30
11. Main
- overall score: 57.85
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 11
- Minimum household food waste: 15
- Most Food Recycled: 25
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 36
10. Washington
- overall score: 59.96
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 8
- Minimum household food waste: 6
- Most Food Recycled: 23
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 31
9. New York
- overall score: 62.45
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 10
- Minimum household food waste: 29
- Most Food Recycled: 15
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 5
8. North Dakota
- overall score: 64.51
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 9
- Minimum household food waste: 28
- Most Food Recycled: 1
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 49
7. Oregon
- overall score: 65.97
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 5
- Minimum household food waste: 4
- Most Food Recycled: 13
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 33
6. New Jersey
- overall score: 67.44
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 7
- Minimum household food waste: 14
- Most Food Recycled: 8
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 4
5. Maryland
- overall score: 68.92
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 4
- Minimum household food waste: 9
- Most Food Recycled: 10
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 13
4. Vermont
- overall score: 71.28
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 3
- Minimum household food waste: 7
- Most Food Recycled: 18
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 8
3. Massachusetts
- overall score: 73.02
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 6
- Minimum household food waste: 5
- Most Food Recycled: 6
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 1
2. Rhode Island
- overall score: 75.25
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 2
- Minimum household food waste: 2
- Most Food Recycled: 12
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 6
1. Connecticut
- overall score: 78.25
- Minimal commercial and industrial food waste: 1
- Minimum household food waste: 3
- Most Food Recycled: 9
- Most food waste reduction efforts: 2
Methodology
To rank the states with the least food waste, we compared all 50 states across 37 metrics.
Our metrics were organized into four main categories:
- Minimize commercial and industrial food waste (about 59%): We considered the total amount of food discarded, the value of additional food generated, the percentage of food discarded, and year-over-year changes for the manufacturing, food service, and retail sectors. For the agricultural sector, we considered the total amount of food discarded, the value of additional food generated, and year-on-year changes.
- Minimize household food waste (about 17%): We looked at year-over-year changes for total amount of food skipped, percentage of food skipped, value of food skipped, and residential area.
- Most Food Recycled (about 13%): We examined the total amount of food and the percentage of food recycled through composting, anaerobic digestion and animal feeding, in addition to year-on-year changes.
- Most Food Waste Reduction Efforts (about 11%): We took into account the presence of food waste disposal restrictions, food sharing programs, access to composting facilities and anaerobic digestion facilities, and the number of food waste solution providers per 1,000 square miles.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each state to determine its rank for each factor, each category, and overall. The overall score of a state is the average of its scores across all factors and categories.