Oregonians Encouraged To Not Waste Food

Oregon has just wrapped up its first ever Food Waste Prevention Week, but that does not mean the efforts to keep food from the landfill comes to an end. According to the EPA, the average American family of four wastes as much as $1,800 of purchased food annually. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Elaine Blatt said the heels of Food Waste Prevention Week is a good time to evaluate how that waste impacts our family budget and the environment.

“When we throw out food and waste food, we’re doing it little bits at a time. If we saw that whole $1800 at once, we would be horrified, I’m sure. And we would probably be more inclined to act.”

Blatt added there are simple steps Oregonians can take to reduce the amount of food that spoils.

“Be aware of food they still have in their fridge or pantry and store it in a place where you can easily see it - so you open your fridge and you go, ‘oh yeah, I have those leftovers. I should eat those for lunch today’.”

Blatt said food waste is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gasses generated by Oregonians, second only to transportation. Click Here for more tips on preventing food waste.

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