That's why more than 50 local officials signed onto a letter Tuesday calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to help municipal governments cut food waste in their communities.
Tackling food waste is a daunting challenge that the U.S. has taken on before.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the EPA set a goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, but the country has made little progress, said Claudia Fabiano, who works on food waste management for the EPA.
Researchers say households are responsible for at least 40% of food waste in the U.S.
Chicago, for instance, just launched a city-wide composting pilot program two weeks ago that set up free food waste drop-off points around the city.
Persons:
Claudia Fabiano, “ We've, ” Fabiano, Weslynne Ashton, ” Ashton, Ning Ai, ”, Ai, ___ Read, Melina Walling
Organizations:
CHICAGO, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S . Department of Agriculture, EPA, Farmers, Illinois Institute of Technology, ”, Chicago, University of Illinois, AP
Locations:
U.S, It's, California, University of Illinois Chicago, ___