By investing $18 billion, America could decrease food waste by 20 percent and spur $100 billion in “societal economic value,” says a new report out by Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data. ReFED is a collaboration of more than 30 business, nonprofit and government leaders including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Walmart, Sodexo, The Closed Loop Fund, and the city of Phoenix. The report offers a roadmap of 27 food waste solutions that it estimates would divert 13 million tons from the landfill and on-farm losses, while avoiding 18 million tons of greenhouse gases a year. Implementing the plan, researchers claim, would lead to 15,000 new jobs by way of expanded compost facilities, as well as food recovery and donation services.
According to the report, the top three food waste solutions are standardized date labeling on packaging, consumer education campaigns and better designed packaging (i.e. containers that ensure complete consumption and limit residual waste). The report says that consumers stand to save $5.6 billion annually, the most money of any sector, if they learn to waste less at home.