Use Food Well: Become an Expert at Reducing Food Waste - Washington State Department of Ecology

Your path to a waste-free kitchen.

Food waste adds up.
Know the cost.

When food goes in the trash, so do resources, time, and money. Save on all three with small changes to your cooking and shopping habits. Get started today.

Buy it, use it Make it last

Save food and money

Your food saving journey starts here. We’ve got ideas to help you use food well. Get ready to learn, plan, and get creative.

The average family throws out almost $3,000 in edible food every year.
Smart planning can help save money.
Getting creative with unused food can reduce waste.

Start saving food and money

Learn to waste less with Chef Joel

No scraps left behind series

Watch Chef Joel’s easy-to-follow videos for simple tips on reducing food waste at home.

Don’t toss it: revive & thrive

Shriveled grape chicken salad

Scrappy snacks (onion skin fried pickles and aquafaba ranch dressing

Spiced carrot frittata with carrot top pesto

View all videos

What we lose with wasted food

Environmental impact

Cutting food waste in half could reduce greenhouse gases by the equivalent of 2 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Source:  Washington Department of Ecology, 2021

Household impact

The average individual loses roughly $750 per year in wasted food (that’s $3,000 for a family of four).

Source:  2025 ReFED U.S. Food Waste Report

Statewide impact

Washington generated an estimated 1 million tons of food waste in 2022, including roughly 500,000 tons of uneaten edible food.

Source:   Washington Department of Ecology, 2021