StopWaste helps Alameda County residents, businesses, and schools prevent food waste, recover surplus edible food to nourish community members, and compost food scraps to protect the climate and make healthy compost.
Food waste is a big issue—both here in Alameda County and across the country—and it affects our entire food system. In the U.S., nearly one-third of all food goes uneaten, wasting water, energy, time, and money. When that food ends up in our landfills, it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Closer to home, food scraps and food-soiled paper make up about 35% of what we throw away—the largest part of our waste stream. At the same time, 1 in 4 people in Alameda County don’t always have enough to eat.
By wasting less and making better use of the food we already have, we can build a stronger food system. That means preventing wasted food, rescuing surplus edible food to nourish people, and composting what’s left—reducing waste, supporting our community, and protecting the climate.
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FOR RESIDENTS
Reducing Food Waste at Home
Small changes in how you shop, store, and cook can make a big difference — for your wallet and the planet. Households are the single largest source of wasted food in the U.S., and most of it is preventable. The good news? Reducing food waste at home is straightforward. It starts with a few simple habits around planning, storage, and using what you have.
Food waste is a significant cost for businesses. Across the supply chain — from restaurants and grocery stores to hotels, hospitals, and caterers — wasted food represents lost revenue, wasted labor, and unnecessary disposal costs. At the same time, businesses have enormous potential to lead on food waste reduction.
Every year, more than 300 million pounds of food and scraps are thrown away in Alameda County — some of which is edible food that could instead nourish community members and help meet California's climate goals. Food recovery is the practice of collecting surplus edible food from grocery stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and other food businesses and redistributing it to people who need it. This keeps good food out of landfills while addressing hunger in our community.
Meals worth of food wasted each year in Alameda County.
14 million lbs
Of edible food recovered by local food recovery organizations in on year.
35%
Of Alameda County's waste stream is food scraps and food-soiled paper.
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Community Success Stories
Across Alameda County, residents, businesses, and organizations are finding creative ways to reduce food waste and strengthen our local food system. Discover how your neighbors and local changemakers are making a difference.
