How much food is wasted in schools, and what can we do about it?

Schools in the US waste approximately 530,000 tons of solid food and 45 million gallons of milk annually, resulting in an estimated $1.7 billion in lost value. This waste generates CO2 emissions equivalent to over 400,000 cars driven for a year and wastes 20.9 billion gallons of water. To combat this, the WWF's Food Waste Warriors program provides educational resources and tools for food audits, while practical measures such as share tables and composting can reduce school food waste by up to 70%.

• US schools waste approximately 530,000 tons of solid food and up to 45 million gallons of milk every year, which translates to an annual economic loss of $1.7 billion.
• The environmental toll of school food waste includes CO2 emissions equivalent to more than 400,000 cars driven for one year and the waste of an estimated 20.9 billion gallons of water used in production.
• Implementing cost-effective strategies such as composting, share tables for unopened food, and food audits can lead to a reduction in food waste of up to 70% in some schools.
• The WWF's Food Waste Warriors program supports the 129,000 K-12 schools in the US by offering free online educational resources and tools to conduct food audits.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). How much food is wasted in schools, and what can we do about it? https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-schools-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/

Chicago

WWF International. How much food is wasted in schools, and what can we do about it? n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-schools-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=How much food is wasted in schools, and what can we do about it? |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-schools-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndhow, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{How much food is wasted in schools, and what can we do about it?}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-schools-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }