Washington Center for Sustainable Food Management

Washington’s goals to use food well

The State Legislature created the Washington Center for Sustainable Food Management (Food Center) at the Department of Ecology to support food waste prevention and keeping food out of the landfill.

Based on 2015 data, we have bold goals in Washington State. By 2025, we will rescue at least 78,012 tons of food to give to people. This is 20% of the edible food that went into the landfill.

By 2030, we will reduce food waste going to our landfills by 195,032 tons and reduce total organic waste going to landfills by at least 579,373 tons. These drops would be 75% of the 2015 baseline data.

How you can prevent wasting food

The impacts of wasting food are big! With many food-insecure people in our communities, there are 500,000 tons of edible food put into the state’s landfills every year. That is enough food to make 105 meals for every Washingtonian (7.81 million people).

For the average family, the cost of wasting food is over $1,500 a year, which could be better spent elsewhere. Food waste in landfills release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Meeting Washington's food waste reduction goals would be the emissions equivalent of taking 500,000 passenger cars off the road. Stopping food waste is worth it for everyone, so what can you do to help?

1. Plan and cook – Planning ahead is essential. Check out the Use Food Well tips and tricks like making a meal plan and eating a snack before you shop.
2. Store and preserve – Avoid spoiled produce by storing the right way.
3. Know date labels – Most date labels on food are a sign of food quality, not safety.
4. Donate edible food – Many foods can be donated to a local hunger relief organization if you follow the proper handling and safety rules. Find a local hunger relief organization using Washington 211. Go to their website or call to find out more about what you can donate, items the food pantry needs most, and ask about volunteering.
5. Aim to compost – If you can, composting food waste is better than throwing it away. See if food waste is allowed in your collection bin or look into home composting.

Donating food

These groups help connect food donors with local hunger relief organizations.

• AmpleHarvest.org
• Emergency Food Network
• Feeding America’s Food Lifeline
• Feeding Washington
• Northwest Harvest
• Second Harvest

Other food rescue and donation resources:

• Focus on Food Donation – Washington Department of Ecology 
• King County edible food for donation
• Further with Food – EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Food rescue webpage
• Food Recovery Network (for college students)