Americans throw out about 40% of food annually a waste of both money and natural resources. Reducing food waste can increase food security, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change. The Bay Sate has become a leader in reducing food waste. In fact, it's the only state to significantly do so " to the tune of 13.2% " according to a 2024 study. Massachusetts was among the first five states to enact a food waste ban in 2014. (The others were California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.) "The law has worked really well in Massachusetts," says Robert Sanders, an assistant professor of marketing and analytics at the University of California San Diego and co-author of the study. "That's due to three things: affordability, simplicity, and enforcement.'" If food waste were its own country, it would be the third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States. It's also the largest category of waste " at 25% " sent to landfills in the United States. Vanguard Renewables specializes in turning organic waste into renewable energy. The Massachusetts-based company partners with dairy farms to convert food scraps and manure into biogas through anaerobic digestion. Each of Vanguard Renewables' five digesters produces enough energy to heat 1,600 to 3,500 homes per year. Since 2014, Vanguard has processed more than 887,000 tons of food waste in New England, producing enough natural gas to heat 20,000 homes for a year.