Dive Brief:
- In 2013, Rob Greenfield began biking across America to see what food items he could score in dumpsters along the way. He said 70% of his diet came from "dumpster diving."
- This year, he set out on another biking adventure by hitting dumpsters located exclusively at grocery stores. He gained five pounds -- even while biking across the nation
- Greenfield has now released images from his cross-country trek. They're worth checking out to get an idea of the sheer amount of food waste being discarded at supermarkets throughout the U.S.
Dive Insight:
Throughout the course of his journey, Greenfield estimates donating over $10,000 worth of food and feeding more than 500 individuals.
There are various apps being developed to help reduce the overwhelming amount of food waste in America. “PareUp” helps consumers searching for a deal on their groceries score leftovers at retail stores, while "Ratatouille" connects customers looking for produce with people who have extras they would like to give away.
Cities, restaurants and grocery stores are also working toward solutions to the massive volumes of food waste generated in the U.S. Apps, paired with curbside collection programs, could shed some light on the food waste plight as consumers slowly wake up to the fact that 25% of the total waste stream is comprised of leftovers. States are also working to curb this waste through a variety of programs and even food waste bans.
Low levels of consumer awareness and lack of infrastructure seem to be the biggest hurdles to diverting food waste from landfills, although some locales are making it easier for sustainable solutions to be put in place.