2022 WasteBusters Challenge: Food Waste Prevention Edition

Washington generates more than one million tons of food waste annually.

Food waste has increasing environmental impacts on a local, national and international stage. In 2018, the Washington Department of Ecology recorded 479,428 tons of wasted edible food, an increase of almost 100,000 tons from 2015. The Washington Department of Ecology's Use Food Well Plan has a goal of reducing the state's food waste by 50% by 2030 through three avenues.

Prevention: Prevent and reduce the amount of food that's wasted
Rescue: Rescue edible food that would otherwise be wasted and ensure the food reaches those who need it
Recovery: Support productive uses of inedible food materials, including using it for animal feed, energy production through anaerobic digestion, and for off-site or on-site management systems including composting, vermicomposting, or other biological systems

The 21-day WasteBusters Challenge runs March 1-21 and participants can join as individuals or as a team. Participants can curb food waste and help reduce their environmental impact by committing to one of three pledges:

Reduce meat intake by one day per week
Organize and rotate food in the refrigerator to prioritize consuming food before it expires
Plan and stick to a shopping list during grocery shopping

These pledges are created in order to participate in the state-wide Use Food Well Plan's goal to prevent the amount of wasted food.

Launch Party!
The Launch Party will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 28, from 6-7:15pm

Learn more about WasteBusters at the Launch Party, featuring guest speaker Monika Spykerman, Columbian staff writer! Monika is going to be sharing her story in reducing food waste and engaging participants in activities and active discussion. People attending the free kick-off event will also learn more about this year's challenge, including details about how the challenge will work and how you can earn points and win prizes!

People who join the WasteBusters challenge will be supported by fellow participants and the WasteBusters team. The challenge's easy-to-use online platform provides the opportunity to share tips, tricks, and additional resources to help participants accomplish their waste-busting goals. Participants will earn points by attending virtual events, completing weekly challenges, participating in reflections about their food waste journey and more.

At the end of the 21 days, the highest point-earner and the team with the highest number of points will earn a prize. Every participant earning 500 points or more will be entered into a raffle to win a grand prize.

Learn more about the challenge on the WasteBusters website and register for the kick-off event online.