DEQ has completed a major milestone in its food waste prevention work, and recently published its findings on the Oregon Wasted Food Study. This study tracked wasted food in both urban and rural households—using quantitative and qualitative research methods—to increase our understanding of how much, what, and why food is discarded by people in Oregon. This work was conducted by Portland State University’s Community Environmental Services.

Key findings include:

• Of all food waste thrown away by households, 71 percent could have been eaten 
• On average, Oregon households throw away 6.3 pounds of food per week 
• There were no significant differences in the per capita amounts of wasted food generated among demographic groups assessed (e.g., household size or type, urban or rural, or income level)

Download the final report here.