How much landfill methane comes from food waste?

EPA estimates that 58 percent of the fugitive methane emissions — those released to the atmosphere — from US municipal solid waste landfills come from landfilled food waste. EPA also estimates that 61 percent of the methane generated by landfilled food waste is not captured by landfill gas collection systems.

Which wasted-food actions does EPA prefer?

EPA’s Wasted Food Scale ranks preventing wasted food, donating it and upcycling it as the most preferred pathways. EPA says these pathways offer the most benefits to the environment and a circular economy because they keep food serving its intended purpose: nourishing people.

Does buying organic food make a measurable environmental difference?

We do not make that claim on this page. Organic certification governs how food is produced; it is a specific standard, not a general environmental or nutritional guarantee. We have not verified comparative claims either way, and say so rather than implying a benefit we cannot source.

Eat

Start With the Food You Already Bought

EPA’s Wasted Food Scale puts prevention, donation and upcycling in its most preferred tier because those pathways keep food serving its intended purpose: nourishing people.

What the EPA actually measured

In its 2023 analysis of landfilled food waste, the EPA reported three figures worth sitting with:

58%

of fugitive methane from US landfills comes from landfilled food waste

61%

of methane generated by that food waste is never captured by collection systems

55 Mt

CO₂-equivalent from food waste in US landfills in 2020

“An estimated 58 percent of the fugitive methane emissions (i.e., those released to the atmosphere) from MSW landfills are from landfilled food waste.”

Fugitive means escaped — not burned off, not captured, just released. The EPA model covers food discarded from residential, commercial, and institutional sources, not only groceries purchased by individual households.

Four practical prevention-first steps

EPA ranks prevention among the most preferred pathways. These household steps start there before turning to ways of managing scraps that remain.

Find out what you actually throw away

For one week, keep a simple note of the food you discard. That gives you a household-specific starting point without requiring an app or another purchase.

Freeze before it turns, not after

Freeze food while it is still fresh enough to use later. Bread, herbs, milk, cooked portions and many vegetables can be frozen; check food-safety guidance for the item and label it with the date.

Cook the thing that expires first

Plan the next meal around food that needs to be used soon. This puts prevention first, before the food becomes waste that needs another management pathway.

Divert what is left from landfill

For scraps that cannot be prevented, donated or upcycled, use an available composting or food-scrap collection program rather than sending them to landfill when practical.

What we are not claiming

That organic is better for you or the planet. Organic certification governs how food is produced. It is a specific standard, not a general guarantee, and we have not verified comparative claims in either direction.
That local always means lower emissions. Transport is often a small share of a food’s footprint compared with how it was produced. We have not sourced a figure we would stand behind, so we are not giving you one.
That any way of eating prevents or treats disease. This page makes no health claim of any kind.
That we have measured your household. The EPA figures are national estimates from modelling, with the uncertainty that implies.

This page focuses on waste reduction because EPA directly ranks prevention among the most preferred wasted-food pathways. The comparisons listed above are outside this page’s evidence and are not implied by that ranking.

How to check an eco label Move

Sources

U.S. EPA — Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste (PDF, 2023) — the 58 percent, 61 percent and 55 mmt CO₂e figures are quoted from this report.
U.S. EPA — news release on the food waste reports — “Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten.”
U.S. EPA — Wasted Food Scale — prevention, donation and upcycling are the most preferred pathways; landfill, incineration and sending food down the drain are the least preferred.
U.S. EPA — Sustainable Management of Food

Last reviewed 25 July 2026. Educational information only — not medical or dietary advice.

The lighter-home letter

One problem, one free step, and one honest buying decision each week.