Maine households are worst offenders on food waste, according to DEP study

MAINE MONITOR • June 7, 2024

Close to half – 40 percent – of the solid waste stream in Maine is made up of organics, according to a study released by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in late May. Every year, we waste around 361,000 tons of food, the equivalent of more than 9,000 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks. Households are the worst offenders, accounting for around 35 percent of all the food waste in the state. Agriculture is next, at 25 percent, followed by food manufacturers, grocery stores and restaurants.