Climate Action & Adaptation

Food Waste Reduction in Portland

Learn how to manage your food waste at all levels and phases of food preparation - whether you are a resident in an apartment cooking for 1 or a restaurant that made too much food.

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Join Lloyd EcoDistrict and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in transforming how our community handles food waste. Together, we can save money, support our neighbors, and protect our planet.

Understanding the Issue

Every year in Oregon, a significant portion of food goes to waste, with dire consequences for our environment and community:

  • Food Security: Nearly 1 in 8 Oregonians are food insecure.
  • Resource Wastage: Around 38% of food intended for consumption is wasted. This represents a missed opportunity to feed the hungry and wastes precious resources like land, energy, and water—equivalent to the needs of 50 million U.S. households annually. Spoiled food costs each household in Oregon over $1600 per year on average. ​
  • Environmental Impact: Food waste in Oregon contributes heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from the disposal of organic waste in landfills, which produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas​
  • The Big Picture: When upstream production and distribution of food are included, the relevance of food rescue becomes minimal. Upstream production dominates the life cycle impacts.

Food Waste Solutions by Need

Purchasing or Shopping:

Managing Perishables & Overbuying

  • Learn from Locals: A great starting spot for learning from locals is the Eat Smart, Waste Less program, which is a coalition of Washington County, Clackamas County, and the cities of Beaverton, Gresham, and Portland.
  • Plan with Apps: Plan your grocery shopping with the help of apps like
    • Flipp – Aggregates sales flyers from local Portland stores such as Safeway and Fred Meyer to help prevent overbuying
    • Cooklist, CozZo, and Pantry Check – Aim to tackle food waste by allowing users to create shopping lists, manage refrigerator and pantry inventories, track expiry dates, plan meals, and discover recipes using ingredients found at home. This holistic approach helps prevent overbuying and ensures perishables are used efficiently.
  • Local Farmer’s Markets and CSAs:
    • Portland Farmers Market: This is an excellent source for high-quality, fresh perishables. Shopping at farmer’s markets ensures you’re buying local, which often means the produce is fresher and has spent less time in transit, reducing spoilage.
    • Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA): Joining a CSA in the Portland area can help you manage the quantity and quality of perishables you receive. CSAs often provide the freshest seasonal produce directly from local farms.
    • Seasonal Buying: Focus on purchasing produce in season in Oregon is likely to be fresher and of better quality. Utilize resources like the Oregon Harvest Calendar, which provides information on peak seasonality for fruits and vegetables in the region.
  • First In, First Out (FIFO):
    • Practice FIFO at home just like restaurants do. Always use older items first to keep your stock rotated and fresh.
  • Proper Storage:
    • Invest in high-quality, typically airtight storage solutions that help maintain the optimal freshness of perishables.
    • Store perishable goods in the refrigerator or freezer immediately after purchase. The OSU Extension Service provides detailed guidelines on proper refrigeration and freezing techniques to extend the freshness of your food. You can find these guidelines here.
    • Be aware of ethylene-producing foods (like apples and bananas) that can speed up the ripening process of other sensitive products (like lettuce). OSU Extension offers a comprehensive list of which products to separate to avoid premature spoiling, accessible here.

Too Many Ingredients

  • Learn from the Experts:
    • Food Hero is a great online resource by OSU that will help you polish your knowledge of individual ingredients, new recipes, and gardening tactics.
  • Donate to Food Rescues and Community Fridges:
    • Milk Crate Kitchen: Donate your excess ingredients to help prepare meals for those in need.
    • PDX Free Fridge: You can drop off surplus ingredients at any community fridge in Portland.
    • Blanchet House: Accepts fresh, unexpired, and soon-to-expire ingredients from Monday to Saturday.
    • The Portland Food Project: Sign up, and your extra food will be picked up and donated to a local food pantry on the second Saturday of every other month.
  • Preserve or Swap Excess Ingredients:
    • Preserve: Extend the shelf life of your surplus by learning canning and preserving at local workshops like Kitchen Culture.
    • Ingredient Swap Meet: Exchange your excess ingredients at community-organized swap events. Find upcoming events on platforms like Meetup.
  • Utilize Online Platforms for Redistribution:
    • List or give away surplus ingredients through Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, connecting directly with locals who can use them.
    • Use OLIO, a food-sharing app, to give away or find extra ingredients locally.

Too Much Prepared Food

  • Donate to Food Rescues and Free Fridges:
    • Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo) Free Fridge: Located in Lloyd, the safe rest area just off Lloyd Center Blvd allows you to drop off prepared, catered, or other extra-free food. This is an immediate and local way to prevent food waste and support community members.
    • Portland Free Fridge: You can drop off surplus uneaten prepared food in a sealed container at any community fridge in Portland.
    • Urban Gleaners: Accepts donations of excess prepared food and redistributes it to feed families and individuals facing food insecurity.
    • Blanchet House: Accepts uneaten, unopened catered dishes or home-baked goods like cookies.
  • Sell to Customers at a Discount: Both food businesses and consumers can download Too Good To Go to save meals from businesses at a reduced price, helping to prevent good food from going to waste.

Spoiling Food or Food Going Bad

  • Composting Solutions:
    • City of Portland Composting Services:
      • Residents: The curbside compost collection accepts all food scraps, including meat, dairy, and bones, along with yard debris.
      • Businesses: These programs are required for many businesses that generate food waste, and they accept food ONLY.
      • Apartment Buildings: Composting is not currently required at multifamily properties. Those that offer this service may accept food only or yard waste. Look at the stickers on the bin or ask the property manager.
  • Other Solutions:
    • Metro Central Transfer Station: Provides drop-off services for large quantities of food waste, which is then processed into compost or used in energy recovery projects.
    • GLEAN: This program works with local artists who use waste materials, including spoiled food, in creative projects. While not a traditional waste management solution, it provides an innovative way to repurpose food waste.
    • Educational Partnerships and Waste Audits: Programs like the Community Environmental Services at Portland State University offer waste audits for businesses to assess and improve their waste management practices, focusing on large-scale food waste generators.

Together, We Can Reduce Food Waste

By making small changes, we can create a significant impact. Whether it’s donating excess food, volunteering, or being mindful of our own food waste, every action contributes to a more sustainable and food-secure Portland.

Take action today—reduce waste, support your community, and make a difference!