{"id":143879,"date":"2025-12-12T19:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T22:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/?page_id=143879"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:29:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:29:04","slug":"us-composting-stats-policies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/statistics\/us-composting-stats-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Bin: U.S. Composting Stats, Policies, and Roadblocks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Composting
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U.S. Composting
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By Sav Maive<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/section> \t\t\t\t
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Composting is catching on. According to data from ReFED, 11.5 million tons of food waste were composted in 2024, accounting for 19.3% of the total food waste across all sectors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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To get a better picture of the compost revolution, <\/span>LawnStarter<\/span><\/a> put together a list of recent stats, policies, and roadblocks related to composting and food waste management. Why does LawnStarter care about composting? Organic yard waste, like grass clippings, is compostable, and <\/span>26 states have banned yard waste from landfills<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

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Read below to explore the recent growth and ongoing challenges of organic waste solutions in the U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Curious about which U.S. cities are making strides in composting efforts? Explore the <\/span>Top Cities for Composting<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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By the Numbers: Composting and Food Waste<\/a><\/h6><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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Reality Check: Composting Challenges and Imperfect Infrastructure<\/a><\/h6><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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Timeline: U.S. Food Waste Policy Highlights<\/a><\/h6><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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Closing the Loop: Prevent Food Waste<\/a><\/h6><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/section> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/section> \t\t\t\t
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\t\t\t\t\tBy the Numbers: Composting and Food Waste<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/section> \t\t\t\t
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Photo Credit: KMPZZZ<\/a> \/ Adobe Stock<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t

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True Costs of Trashing Food <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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\u25cf The average U.S. family of 4 tosses out <\/span>$2,913<\/b> worth of food (or $728<\/strong> per person) each year, according to a <\/span>2025 EPA report<\/span><\/a>. This accounts for about <\/span>11%<\/b> of total annual household food budgets and is almost double the cost of household food waste (previously $1,500) initially introduced by the USDA in 2010.<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf The average U.S. resident wastes around <\/span>256 pounds of food<\/b> each year, according to EPA estimates.<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf <\/span>Landfills are getting more expensive: In 2024, the average landfill tipping fee <\/span>increased by 10%<\/span><\/a> compared to fees recorded in 2023, with an <\/span>average cost of $62.28 per ton<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

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Investing in Solutions <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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\u25cf According to ReFED, a food waste solutions nonprofit, <\/span>$9.96 billion worth of investments<\/span><\/a> have been made toward food waste solutions since 2012.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf The federal government spent <\/span>$300 million<\/b> on food waste solutions in 2024, while about <\/span>$640 million<\/b> came from private funding, as reported by ReFED.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf The <\/span>global compost market<\/span><\/a> was valued at <\/span>$8.7 billion<\/b> in 2025, with projections estimating it to reach <\/span>$12.55 billion<\/b> by 2030, with a <\/span>7.6%<\/b> compound annual growth rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf In 2024, the USDA invested around <\/span>$11.5 million<\/span><\/a> in projects <\/span>targeting composting and food waste across 23 states.<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf Only <\/span>4% of global climate funding<\/span><\/a> has gone toward food waste solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u25cf Just <\/span>2%<\/b>, or <\/span>1.75 million tons<\/b> of surplus food was donated through charitable organizations in 2023, like food banks. ReFED claims that this is <\/span>only 12%<\/span><\/a> of what could be potentially donated from total surplus food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/section> \t\t\t\t

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Expanding the Composting Revolution <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t
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The amount of food being composted in the U.S. has <\/span>drastically increased<\/span><\/a> since the turn of the millennium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t<\/div> \t\t\t\t

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