Don’t Waste Food S.C.

South Carolina government agencies are getting behind a campaign to reduce the number one item thrown away in the state: wasted food. One out of six people struggle with hunger in the United States, yet food waste is the largest component being sent to landfills and accounted for 21 percent (35.2 million tons) of the nation’s waste in 2013. South Carolina alone produced an estimated 607,000 tons of food waste in fiscal year 2015. Don’t Waste Food S.C. is aimed at educating and empowering individuals, businesses and communities to take action by preventing, composting or donating surplus food. The campaign is working towards a goal of reducing food waste in the state by 50 percent by 2030. Governor Haley proclaimed July 13 as “Don’t Waste Food S.C. Day” as the state agencies launched the initiative and invited all South Carolinians to join the effort. The campaign has gained momentum with early involvement from  private stakeholder partners, including Harvest Hope Food Bank, Re-Soil and Loaves & Fishes.