Households generated an estimated 631 million tonnes of food waste worldwide in 2022, or 60% of the food waste measured by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) across households, food service and retail. The figures below show how that waste is distributed, what it contains, how it is managed and why it is discarded.
Contents
- Global household food waste scale
- Household food waste across countries and regions
- UK household food waste volumes and composition
- How households dispose of wasted food
- Economic and climate costs
- Why food is discarded and progress over time
Global household food waste scale
The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 estimated that 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste arose at the household, food-service and retail stages worldwide in 2022. That total represented 19% of food available to consumers at those stages. Households generated 631 million tonnes, while food service generated 290 million tonnes and retail generated 131 million tonnes. (Food Waste Index Report 2024)
UNEP’s household estimate averaged 79 kilograms per person per year in 2022. Across households, food service and retail together, the global average was 132 kilograms per person. A separate UNEP facts summary described the scale as at least 1 billion meals wasted globally each day. (Stop Food Loss and Waste: Facts)
| 2022 global measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Household food waste | 631 million tonnes |
| Food-service food waste | 290 million tonnes |
| Retail food waste | 131 million tonnes |
| All three stages | 1.05 billion tonnes |
| Household average | 79 kg per person |
| All three stages average | 132 kg per person |
Household waste was broadly similar across high-, upper-middle- and lower-middle-income countries in UNEP’s comparison: the average differed by only 7 kilograms per person per year. This is an estimate comparison, not a claim that every country has the same household waste level. The UNEP household, food-service and retail scope also differs from the separate FAO estimate that put post-harvest food loss before retail at 13% in 2022. (Food Waste Index Report 2024; Stop Food Loss and Waste: Facts)
Household food waste across countries and regions
Eurostat reported that EU households accounted for 54% of food waste in 2022. EU household food waste was 72 kilograms per inhabitant, and total EU food waste reached 59.2 million tonnes, including edible and inedible parts. (Food waste: 132 kg per inhabitant in the EU in 2022)
Country results varied substantially. Portugal recorded the EU’s highest household food-waste amount at 123 kilograms per inhabitant in 2022, followed by Italy at 100 kilograms. Slovenia recorded the lowest, at 33 kilograms per inhabitant. These country figures come from Eurostat’s 2024 key-figures publication and should be read with its country-specific availability and estimate caveats. (Key figures on the European food chain – 2024 edition)
For context, the EU’s 2020 food-waste total averaged 127 kilograms per inhabitant, with households responsible for 55%. Household food waste was 70 kilograms per inhabitant in that year. The 2022 breakdown also attributed 25 kilograms per inhabitant to manufacturing, 15 kilograms to restaurants and food services, 11 kilograms to retail and other distribution, and 10 kilograms to primary production. (Food waste: 127 kg per inhabitant in the EU in 2020; Food waste: 132 kg per inhabitant in the EU in 2022)
The EU numbers use Eurostat’s fresh-mass reporting and are not directly interchangeable with every national measure. Across all sources in this article, scope and definitions matter: some estimates include edible food only, while others include associated inedible parts.
UK household food waste volumes and composition
WRAP estimated that UK households wasted 6.0 million tonnes of food and drink across all disposal routes in 2022. That was about 210 kilograms per household or 88 kilograms per person. Edible parts accounted for 4.4 million tonnes, or 73%, while inedible parts accounted for 1.6 million tonnes, or 27%. (Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2022)
| UK household measure | 2022 figure |
|---|---|
| Total food and drink waste | 6.0 million tonnes |
| Per household | About 210 kg |
| Per person | About 88 kg |
| Edible part | 4.4 million tonnes, 73% |
| Inedible part | 1.6 million tonnes, 27% |
The trend depends on the comparison used. Food waste collected by UK local authorities fell 9% per person between 2021 and 2022. WRAP also reported that UK household food waste in 2022 was 24% lower per person than in 2007. These are measured-period comparisons, not forecasts. (Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2022; Household food waste levels threaten UK’s carbon reduction ambitions)
How households dispose of wasted food
UK local authorities collected 5.0 million tonnes of household food waste in 2022. About 3.9 million tonnes went through black bins, ending in incineration or landfill. Around 850,000 tonnes was collected for composting or anaerobic digestion. About 1 million tonnes was disposed down the sewer or home-composted. These routes describe all UK household food waste in WRAP’s scope, so they are not a simple ranking of environmental performance. (Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2022)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019 estimate gives a different disposal picture for residential wasted food. Landfill managed 66.2%, controlled combustion managed 15.1%, sewer or wastewater treatment managed 15.0%, and composting managed 3.7%. The EPA’s estimate includes food plus associated inedible parts. (2019 Wasted Food Report)
Canadian household data from 2019 shows how separation behavior varied by province. Ninety-five percent of households in Prince Edward Island and 90% in Nova Scotia separated organic kitchen waste, compared with 34% in both Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba. Across Canada, 62% of households separated organic kitchen waste from garbage to reduce landfill disposal. Among those separating households, 75% used curbside pickup, 30% used a compost bin or pile, and 3% took organic waste to a depot. (Households and the Environment Survey, 2019)
Economic and climate costs
WRAP valued edible UK household food waste at £17 billion in 2022. It stated that this equated to £1,000 per year for a household of four. WRAP also estimated that UK local authorities spent more than £500 million disposing of and treating household food waste in 2022. (Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2022; Household food waste levels threaten UK’s carbon reduction ambitions)
The edible food wasted by UK households in 2022 was associated with approximately 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. This climate figure applies to the edible portion, not necessarily the full 6.0 million tonnes of food and drink waste. (Household food waste levels threaten UK’s carbon reduction ambitions)
In the United States, the EPA estimated that residential sources generated 26,502,346 tons of wasted food in 2019. Residential sources represented 40.0% of wasted food generated across the U.S. food retail, food service and residential sectors. The EPA’s 2019 residential generation factor was 337.9 pounds per household per year, and wasted food represented 17.0% of total U.S. household waste. (2019 Wasted Food Report)
Australia’s National Food Waste Strategy, published in 2017, used baseline estimates that households threw away 3.1 million tonnes of edible food each year. It estimated the household food-waste cost at between A$2,200 and A$3,800 per household. These are baseline strategy estimates, not 2026 measurements. (National Food Waste Strategy: Halving Australia’s Food Waste by 2030)
Why food is discarded and progress over time
The 2022 WRAP analysis identified several major reasons for UK household food waste. Nearly 40% of edible household food waste occurred because food was not used in time or was judged past its date, smell or appearance. A quarter happened because people cooked, prepared or served too much. Another 22% occurred because people perceived the product as inedible or preferred not to eat it. (Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK 2022)
The U.S. EPA estimated that residential food-waste generation rose 6.20%, from 24,954,863 tons in 2018 to 26,502,346 tons in 2019. Residential food waste represented 39.53% of the retail, food-service and residential total in 2018 and 40.00% in 2019. (2019 Wasted Food Report)
Several 2030 targets define the direction of policy. UNEP’s SDG 12.3 target is to halve per-capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. WRAP said UK household food waste must fall 36% by 2030 to meet the cited international target. Australia’s national strategy set a goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. These are targets, not forecasts of achieved results. (Stop Food Loss and Waste: Facts; Household food waste levels threaten UK’s carbon reduction ambitions; National Food Waste Strategy: Halving Australia’s Food Waste by 2030)
The figures use each source’s own scope and definitions. UNEP’s global estimates cover household, food-service and retail food waste and include edible plus associated inedible parts; Eurostat reports fresh mass and has country-specific availability and estimate caveats; WRAP includes all UK household disposal routes; and the EPA uses U.S. residential estimates that include food plus associated inedible parts. Australia figures are baseline estimates from the national strategy, not 2026 measurements.