SULLIVAN — According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), they estimated that 40 percent of food in the United States goes uneaten and thrown away, which equals to around 20 pounds of food per person per month.

Some ways food is wasted is by not preparing it in time and not eating all that is made. Another way is by grocery stores who do not sell “ugly” fruit due to Americans not wanting to buy a piece of fruit that is not aesthetically pleasing.

Fruits and vegetables are healthy foods that everyone should have in their diet and eventually bruise, brown, wilt, oxidize, ding, or discolor naturally which is something apparently the average shopper does not like.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UFAO) states for an average family of four, almost $1,600 of food is thrown out per year. On a global scale that adds up to almost 1.3 billion tons of food and $3 trillion dollars worth of food waste annually.

Why is throwing away food bad?

The majority of food that is wasted ends up in landfills where methane gas is created from the rotting fruit and vegetables. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and contributes to climate change.

Additionally, food wastes resources such as growing, packaging, transporting and refrigerating food uses labor, energy, and water among other things.

Furthermore, along with the environmental impact wasted food creates and the resources that it uses to bring the food to you locally, financial resources are also thrown away at the same time.

The NYSDEC recently announced $3.5 million in grants were awarded in 2017 in order to help increase donation of wholesome food and to divert food scraps from landfills.

Sullivan County received $77,500 for the Division of Public Works/Solid Waste Management to hire a consulting engineering firm to conduct an organic composting feasibility study.

The Organics Management Plan (OMP) will outline the best practices and means for Sullivan County to implement organics waste management and will be a component of the County's required Solid Waste Management Plan.

What can you do to help?

While shopping make a list based on how many meals you plan to eat at home, this will help reduce waste at home.

Be careful with sales, where they sometimes encourage you to buy more than you actually need and not having enough time to eat the food, therefore, spoiling and going bad.

When you go out to eat, request smaller portions, some restaurants will provide half-portions when asked and sometimes at a reduced price.

Eat your leftovers if you take your food home from the restaurant and freeze the extra food if you don't want to eat it immediately. According to the NYSDEC, about only half of Americans take leftovers home from outside dining.

Composting is one of the more recent trends that have taken hold in the public, which helps with food waste. Inedible food and food scraps can help reduce their climate impact while also recycling their important nutrients.

Food scraps make up almost 20 percent of the New York State's residential waste stream according to the NYSDEC.

To learn more about composting at home visit NYSDEC's Composting at Home website.