KNOW Food Waste Explains the Importance of Reducing Food Waste

January 18, 2021

Food waste in a major problem that often hides in plain sight and threatens the environment. Billions of pounds of wasted food goes into the landfills each year from restaurants, grocery stores and homes across the country. KNOW Food Waste (KFW), a student organization at Ohio State, strives to educate the Ohio State community on the impact of food waste and what we can do to reduce it both on campus and at home.

The primary leader of KFW, Aishwarya Badige, is a PhD student studying Food Science and Technology. She explains, “The problem with food waste is that it is out of sight, out of mind. We don’t realize how many resources it takes to bring food to the table, so when we waste food, all of those resources are being wasted as well.” According to Aishwarya, food waste is more than simply tossing your leftovers out. When food is thrown away and ends up in a landfill, it produces methane- which is 84 times more toxic than carbon dioxide. Consequently, food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that speed up the process of global warming.

Aishwarya continues, “The waste doesn’t end when the food ends up in a landfill and produces methane, but consider all of the transportation that goes into it as well. And not to mention the imbalance between food waste and food insecurity. If 1 in 9 people in the world don’t have sufficient food to eat, it doesn’t really make sense that we are wasting 40% of all food that’s produced.”

Aishwarya says that the best way that those on and around campus can work to reduce their food waste is to be more aware of what they are eating. “Education is one of the most important things when it comes to food waste production, which is what KNOW Food Waste strives to do,” Aishwarya claims. The issue of food waste is often overlooked. 

Simple ways that students can contribute to reducing food waste in their everyday lives include only taking what they know they can and will eat at dining halls- you can always go back for seconds! Off campus students can make use of their unused groceries in a variety of ways. For example, vegetable scraps can be simmered for half an hour to make a delicious stock and coffee grounds can be added to potted plants as it contains nutrients such as calcium that support growth. No matter where you are, there are ways of reducing food waste that can work for you.

If you’re interested in joining KNOW Food Waste, they have open membership. All you have to do is send an email to knowfoodwaste@gmail.com to join the mailing list so you can be contacted to get involved.