A documentary, Dive: Living Off America’s Waste, reveals the real costs of food-industry waste, and why diving in the dumpster at Trader Joes might actually be a good idea. Watch the trailer and read the tips below to put $600 back in your pocket this year. Who couldn’t use an extra $600, right? And NO, you don’t have to dive in the dumpster to save it!

“Waste is a natural byproduct of our excess.
Throwing away food is a bad habit many of us don’t even think about.” - Jeremy Seifert

HOW MUCH FOOD DO YOU WASTE?

Think about it across an entire year. When you have friends over for holiday meals, so much food is left on each plate and dish. And since we cook in excess, some of it will eventually go bad when it’s not eaten as leftovers. It happens on a daily basis across America. But not for everyone…

“11 million people in the U.S. are actually going hungry. 
Thirty-five and a half million people in the U.S. are ‘food insecure.’”
- David Gist, California regional organizer for Bread for the World

In other words, 35.5 million people and counting don’t know where their next meal is coming from. In the United States, we waste 96 billion pounds of food a year you’d need a train long enough to go from Los Angeles to New York City and back again to transport it all.

“If we were to cut our food losses in half,
we would probably reduce our pollution rate by about 10 percent.”
- Timothy Jones, former head of the Garbage Project at the University of Arizona.

Some stores are concerned about liability issues from donating perishable food near or past its expiration date. However, this documentary made it clear that the issue was addressed in 1996 when Congress passed the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, which was designed to “encourage the donation of food and grocery products to nonprofit organizations for distribution to needy individuals.” Specifically, the Good Samaritan Act provides that donors “shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of apparently wholesome food …” except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. So why don’t they do it?

“It’s easier—and maybe even cheaper—to just throw it away,
instead of organizing with a food bank.” - Jeremy Seifert

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Of the total amount of food loss, about 40 percent is in the household.
A typical household of four loses about $600 worth of food a year.

Step 1: Watch the trailer above and learn a little more.

Step 2: If you can rent or stream the entire vido online, check it out and share it with someone you know.

Step 3: When you prepare meals this holiday season, remember those who are going without and only cook what you need.

Step 4: Eat leftovers. Don’t let your perishables go bad.

Step 5: Next time you go shopping, only buy what you need instead of packing your cupboard and fridge.

Let’s commit to making 2012 less wasteful for everyone!