According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, roughly 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. ends up tossed in the garbage. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) estimates that
22% of all solid waste in New Jersey consists of food waste.
Through a partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC)
Food Matters project, it was estimated that over 40 thousand tons of food waste is generated in Jersey City every year. Of that amount, 25 thousand tons, or 62%, of food waste comes from households and residencies.
At the same time about 42 million Americans live in food-insecure households, meaning they are struggling with hunger, without enough food to eat. Feeding America has mapped food insecure households —
over 10% of our population in Hudson County were food insecure in 2018.
Read more about
food waste and rescue potential in Jersey City.
Environmental Impact of Food Waste
According to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Resources Institute,
global food waste represents more greenhouse gas emissions than any country in the world except for China and the United States, accounting for 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are produced at every part of the food chain, from the growing to the consumption to the disposal. In the U.S., only about 10% of greenhouse gases generated from food waste come from methane released from decomposing food in landfills. The remaining 90% comes from creating synthetic fertilizer, cooling food, transporting it, and more.
Food waste has implications beyond just greenhouse gases.
A 2017 NRDC report, Wasted, outlines not only the greenhouse gas emissions of this waste, but also its impact on water, cropland, landfills, and gross domestic product. For example, 21% of water used in U.S. agriculture is wasted due to uneaten food.
In March 2020 New Jersey passed
Bill A-2371, requiring large food waste generators that produce an average of 52 or more tons of food waste per year to recycle food waste at an appropriate facility. If commercial and institutional entities are located within 25 miles of an authorized food waste recycling facility, they must comply with the
food waste recycling mandate.
How to Reduce Your Food Waste in Jersey City
If you are looking to reduce your food waste you may want to check out the new Food Waste Website created by the NJDEP. It has resources targeted to residents, schools, restaurants, businesses and more. For additional resources, including those specific to Jersey City, please also see the links and resources below.