The Sacramento region is home to more than 20 community driven gardens and urban farms (City of Sacramento, 2022). These green spaces not only provide fresh, locally grown food to the region’s residents, but they also provide a space where community members can connect, collaborate, and learn.

Landfills are the third largest source of methane in California, contributing 20% of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere (source: California Air Resources Board). In 2016, Senate Bill 1383 was introduced to reduce methane emissions by decreasing organic waste disposal and increasing food recovery of surplus food.

Over the last few months, I have seen Sac City Unified and Breathe California Sacramento Region (BREATHE) educate our students about waste sorting and its benefits.

As we continue to enter the new year, we welcome positive, sustainable change. While we have made significant improvements by introducing organic waste recycling, we are now moving on to the next phase of SB 1383. 

At Rio Americano High School (Rio) my partner, Genevieve F. and I, have had the pleasure of working with Breathe California Sacramento Region (BREATHE) to implement a food scraps recycling program.

As we move from summer to fall, we are excited about the positive impacts on the environment with the return of our Food Scraps & Recycling Program in Twin Rivers Unified School District (TRUSD). TRUSD is reintroducing their Farmer’s Market at K-8th elementary schools in the district to sample local, healthy produce to students.

The health of the environment is directly threatened by air pollution. Safeguarding our environment and air quality becomes the key to preserving lung health, for thriving wildlife habitats and ensuring a brighter future for all.

We are proud to say that our Food Scraps programs have helped students to learn how to properly dispose of their food scraps, helped to divert food waste from piling up in landfills, and reduced carbon emissions. Teachers are also proud of their students, especially one of Babcock Elementary’s 3rd grade teachers, Brittoni Ward.

Did you know that in the United States, we waste about 108 billion pounds of food every year? That means that about 30-40 percent of the U.S. food supply ends up in the trash can where it is then sent to the landfill. While more food scraps are being collected for compost due to new California state mandates, food waste still accounts for the single largest material found in landfills, making up about 18% of municipal solid waste.

Every year, up to 40% of food produced in the U.S. is thrown away into landfills. Think of it this way, of every $100 you spend on food at the grocery store or market, $40 of it will end up in a landfill. At 22%, food waste is the single largest source of material in U.S. landfills, followed by paper at 19%.