Food waste in the United States is becoming a serious issue, both from a social and environmental standpoint. Forty percent of food in the U.S. is discarded, with is economically burdensome as well, wasting $165 billion a year. It is estimated that on average, 1,640 tons of commercial food waste is created by New York City restaurants, hotels, schools, and other services. Unfortunately, the majority of this waste is not recycled, which contributes to perpetually growing landfills. In these landfills, the food waste decomposes and contributes to approximately 7% of overall greenhouse gasses annually. Recycling attempts such as composting and firmer food disposal regulations have helped to tackle this issue, however more needs to be done.

In addition to being harmful to the environment, food waste is a social issue as well; 42.2 million Americans live in households with very low food security. In particular, households with children, single parents, seniors, and black and Hispanic people experience higher rates of food insecurity. About 30% of the food currently being discarded is more than enough to feed the millions of Americans that do not have enough to eat. Food waste reduction methods that seek to send food to these households rather than landfills are ideal from a social and environmental viewpoint.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/us/food-waste-is-becoming-serious-economic-and-environmental-issue-report-says.html

http://time.com/4037087/food-waste-united-states/

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/business/cities-and-companies-tackle-the-food-waste-problem.html