--- title: "Food for Thought: More Plastics Packaging Would Reduce Food Waste" id: "741" type: "post" slug: "food-for-thought-more-plastics-packaging-would-reduce-food-waste" published_at: "2023-06-06T10:00:46+00:00" modified_at: "2023-06-06T18:01:16+00:00" url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2023/06/food-for-thought-more-plastics-packaging-would-reduce-food-waste-000741/" markdown_url: "https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2023/06/food-for-thought-more-plastics-packaging-would-reduce-food-waste-000741.md" excerpt: "The U.S. has ample access to affordable food. Much of this is due to plastics packaging, which has made more foods available, long-lasting, economical and safe. Americans, however, discard millions of tons of good food every year. Discarded food ends…" taxonomy_category: - "Design" - "Packaging" - "Resins" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Carbon Emissions" - "Design" - "Packaging" - "Resins" --- [Home](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/) » [News](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/news/) » [Trending](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/trending/) » [Design](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/c/trending/design/) » Food for Thought: More Plastics Packaging Would Reduce Food Waste # Food for Thought: More Plastics Packaging Would Reduce Food Waste Woman throwing garbage into trash binThe U.S. has ample access to affordable food. Much of this is due to plastics packaging, which has made more foods available, long-lasting, economical and safe. Americans, however, discard millions of tons of good food every year. Discarded food ends up as municipal solid waste (MSW), the largest component of landfills. While regulators debate the merits of some plastics packaging, a better approach might be to reduce food waste, which affects hot-button issues like greenhouse gas emissions (GGE). The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, for example, says 85 percent of GGE associated with landfilled food waste is from pre-disposal activities: production, transport, processing and distribution. Some states and cities want to reduce—even eliminate—food from MSW; and the EPA seeks to cut food waste per person in half by 2030. Here’s a look at the stats. (All numbers are annual and, unless otherwise noted, for U.S.) By **[Plastics Engineering](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/pe-anonymous/)** | June 6, 2023 ##### [Plastics Engineering](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/author/pe-anonymous/) [+ postsBio ⮌](#) ### Other posts you could read [May 7, 2026PCR Plastics Are Redefining Aesthetic Standards](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/pcr-plastics-are-redefining-aesthetic-standards-011186/) [May 5, 2026Assessing the Limits of Circularity in Healthcare Plastics](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/assessing-the-limits-of-circularity-in-healthcare-plastics-011180/) [April 28, 2026IKV Colloquium 2026: The Journey of Research and Industry](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/ikv-colloquium-2026-the-journey-of-research-and-industry-010989/) [May 14, 2026Carbon Fiber Production from End-of-Life Automotive Polymers](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/carbon-fiber-production-from-end-of-life-automotive-polymers-011254/) [April 30, 2026Upcycling Polyolefins into Jet Fuel Components](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/04/upcycling-polyolefins-into-jet-fuel-components-011138/) [May 26, 2026Why Food-Grade PCR Supply Still Lags in Food Packaging](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/why-food-grade-pcr-supply-still-lags-in-food-packaging-011380/) [May 15, 2026Feedstocks for Light Olefins, Steam Cracking & Decarbonization](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/feedstocks-for-light-olefins-steam-cracking-decarbonization-011260/) [May 25, 2026Children’s Packaging Design: Balancing Play, Safety, and Trust](https://www.plasticsengineering.org/2026/05/childrens-packaging-design-balancing-play-safety-and-trust-011283/) ## Share Your Thoughts [Cancel reply](/2023/06/food-for-thought-more-plastics-packaging-would-reduce-food-waste-000741/#respond) - [https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&text=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste&via=Plastics_Mag](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&text=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste&via=Plastics_Mag) - [https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&t=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&t=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste) - [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&title=Food%20for%20Thought:%20More%20Plastics%20Packaging%20Would%20Reduce%20Food%20Waste&summary=The+U.S.+has+ample+access+to+affordable+food.+Much+of+this+is+due+to+plastics+packaging%2C+which+has+made+more+foods+available%2C+long-lasting%2C+economical+and+safe.+Americans%2C+however%2C+discard+millions+of+tons+of+good+food+every+year.+Discarded+food+ends%E2%80%A6&source=Plastics+Engineering](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&title=Food%20for%20Thought:%20More%20Plastics%20Packaging%20Would%20Reduce%20Food%20Waste&summary=The+U.S.+has+ample+access+to+affordable+food.+Much+of+this+is+due+to+plastics+packaging%2C+which+has+made+more+foods+available%2C+long-lasting%2C+economical+and+safe.+Americans%2C+however%2C+discard+millions+of+tons+of+good+food+every+year.+Discarded+food+ends%E2%80%A6&source=Plastics+Engineering) - [https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&title=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.plasticsengineering.org/?p=741&title=Food+for+Thought%3A+More+Plastics+Packaging+Would+Reduce+Food+Waste) - [/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#19266a6c7b737c7a6d244975786a6d707a6a395c777e70777c7c6b70777e3934395f76767d397f766b394d71766c7e716d233954766b7c394975786a6d707a6a3949787a72787e70777e394e766c757d394b7c7d6c7a7c395f76767d394e786a6d7c3f7b767d6024716d6d696a2336366e6e6e376975786a6d707a6a7c777e70777c7c6b70777e37766b7e362669242e2d28](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#19266a6c7b737c7a6d244975786a6d707a6a395c777e70777c7c6b70777e3934395f76767d397f766b394d71766c7e716d233954766b7c394975786a6d707a6a3949787a72787e70777e394e766c757d394b7c7d6c7a7c395f76767d394e786a6d7c3f7b767d6024716d6d696a2336366e6e6e376975786a6d707a6a7c777e70777c7c6b70777e37766b7e362669242e2d28) - [#comments](#comments)