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We love food, which leaves us wondering: why do we let so much of it go to waste? In the U.S., about 40% of food is wasted somewhere along the supply chain, and much of that food waste happens at home.
Most of the food we throw in the trash is leftovers or unspoiled food that could have been eaten, according to a recent waste study in Minneapolis. All that wasted food adds up to wasted money. The average family of four spends more than $2,500 on food that goes to waste every year.
Take the Stop Food Waste Challenge to learn better strategies for buying food you’ll eat and eating the food you buy.
Improve your food-waste-fighting skills
The Stop Food Waste Challenge is a month-long effort starting August 1 to help you notice when you are wasting food, commit to actions that will have the greatest impact in your household, connect you with helpful resources, and provide support and motivation along the way.
Start a team or become a partner
Anyone can become a team captain and invite family, friends, and colleagues to join in. Businesses, organizations, and community groups can join the challenge as Stop Food Waste Challenge partners.
Hennepin County and other metro area counties are required to submit a county-specific plan that responds to the required and optional strategies in the Metro Solid Waste Policy Plan (PDF) to reduce waste, increase recycling and advance a zero-waste future.
The foundation of this plan will be the county’s Zero Waste Plan (PDF), developed in 2023 to meet the county’s goal of diverting 90% or more of waste from landfills or incinerators. The county further prioritized the highest impact zero-waste actions in the Plan to Reinvent Hennepin County’s Solid Waste System (PDF) to accelerate the closure and repurposing of the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC).
Engagement approach
The county is currently implementing the following community engagement strategies to inform the plan:
- Building from the broad base of learning from the development of the Zero Waste Plan
- Gathering further input on implementation of prioritized zero-waste actions, especially with cities and haulers
- Educating residents on the amount of waste produced, engaging in solutions, and building support for needed policy and behavior change
- Gathering additional feedback from residents through a statistically representative survey
- Leveraging outreach opportunities with partners to maximize community connections
Learn more about our community engagement approach.
Timeline
The county anticipates releasing the draft Solid Waste Management Plan for public comment in August and submit the plan for board consideration and approval in the fall. The final plan is due to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on October 29, 2024.
Stay informed
Visit the Solid Waste Management Plan site and sign up for solid waste planning updates to stay informed on the process to advance zero-waste in Hennepin County.
 Tortilleria La Perla in Minneapolis received a $47,500 waste prevention grant from Hennepin County in 2022 to help with the purchase of a food-grade machine to improve tortilla manufacturing in their factory. This prevented 200,000 pounds of food waste in 2023!
Waste prevention grant funding is available for Hennepin County businesses and organizations.
 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Salvage Crawl in May. More than 200 people — double the amount from last year — shopped for used building materials for home remodeling projects. Of the participants: 47% of them were first-time visitors to salvage stores, 37% made a purchase, 44% visited more than one retailer, and prizes were awarded to lucky participants.
Congrats to the shoppers and participating retailers! Learn more about salvaging building materials.
 In May, Hennepin County provided 143 yards of free compost to 33 schools that currently have an organics recycling program. The county partnered with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Organics Facility to source the compost.
The finished compost is meant to “close the loop” and show gratitude to the schools that helped generate it. The compost was added to vegetable and pollinator gardens, flowers, and trees to improve the soil and help plants grow.
 Hennepin County drop-off facilities in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, July 4. The facilities will have regular hours the rest of the week. The drop-off facilities accept a variety of hazardous waste, problem materials, and recycling from residents.
Mending offers one solution to the growing problem of textile waste
Textile waste is a growing problem – the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency estimates that somewhere between 134,000 and 192,000 tons of textiles are thrown away each year in Minnesota. Fast fashion, which involves mass producing low-quality, trendy clothing that often gets discarded quickly, is a driving force behind this problem. Lack of good recycling markets is another issue.
Learning how to mend clothing, which can include things like patching holes, repairing zippers, fixing hems, and darning socks, is one solution. Counties and organizations like ReuseMN offer free clinics where people can get assistance from experienced sewers to learn mending skills.
Read more about textile waste and mending clinics in the Star Tribune, and learn more about Hennepin County Fix-It Clinics and ReuseMN Mending Clinics.
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 Make sure your summer vacation doesn’t create wasted food at home or on the go.
Before you leave:
- A week or two before your trip, start planning your meals and grocery list to use up perishable food.
- Put a fridge check on your trip prep list, and do it at least a day or two before you leave. Use our Fridge Check Guide (PDF).
- Make a plan to eat up, freeze, bring with you, or give away anything that may spoil while you’re gone.
While you travel:
- Order smaller portions or share meals when eating out, especially if you don’t have a place to store leftovers or are unlikely to eat them.
- If you're able to keep leftovers, make a plan to eat them – have them for lunch one day or set aside an “eat it up night” near the end of your trip.
- If you plan to cook, buy smaller amounts of groceries and bring home extras that travel well. Tell your host if you leave any edible food.
Want more tips to help you save money by wasting less food? Sign up for Fridge Check Friday emails to get weekly reminders to use up your food before it goes bad plus snack-sized kitchen hacks to help you get the most out of your groceries.
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