Food Waste Prevention Week 2025

Food Waste Prevention Week 2025 is April 7 to 13. Sheryl Anayas and Liz Fikejs from Seattle Public (SPU) Utilities join us for an interview about the work they do to help prevent food waste, and how individuals can take action.

What is Food Waste Prevention Week, and why is reducing food waste important? 

Food Waste Prevention Week (FWPW) is a national campaign, from April 7 – April 13th, aiming to raise awareness about food waste and inspire action to reduce it.  Many organizations, such as SPU, engage as a partner to encourage reducing food waste by messaging via our social media channels, event outreach, and other efforts. Reducing the amount of food that we waste is important because it’s an easy act that’s good for the planet and climate, and is a way to directly save you money.  Additionally, despite a City ordinance in 2015 to ban food from going into the garbage, food remains the largest single material in Seattle’s garbage – about 20% of our garbage is made up of food! So, collectively, there is a significant opportunity to reduce food waste in our city.

Can you tell us about your roles at Seattle Public Utilities and the work you do around food waste prevention? 

Both Liz and I are Senior Program Managers that support SPU’s Waste Prevention Planning and Diversion Team within the Solid Waste Division.  I focus on food waste prevention education and outreach geared towards residential households, while Liz focuses on similar work with commercial businesses. Together, we seek opportunities to encourage food waste prevention behaviors – whether it’s at home or in a food business such as grocery stores. You may be wondering what does this all look like? In our homes, it can entail making sure to meal plan before grocery shopping, to storing and freezing food properly so food can ultimately last longer. We have many resources via SPU’s Love Food Stop Waste (LFSW) Program, such as our food storage guide and freezer storage guide, which can help folks learn how to extend the shelf life of food they buy and, ideally, prevent these items from going to the garbage. And outside of our homes, food waste prevention can entail buying smaller portion sizes, requesting boxes for leftovers, and creatively repurposing those leftovers, just to name a few.  SPU’s overarching goals around food waste include fostering a culture that values food and preventing it from going to waste in the first place.

What is your top piece of advice for folks looking to start reducing their food waste? 

Taking steps to reduce food waste can look different for everyone, so starting with what feels easy and relevant to you is key!  I’d suggest folks take a look at our LFSW webpage and apply some of the food saving tips we’ve outlined in our various resources to see what makes sense to incorporate into their individual lifestyles.

For more ideas on how you can reduce food waste, check out our booklist featuring cookbooks, kid’s books, and more: Food Waste Prevention.

  Food Waste Prevention Week 2025 is April 7 to 13. Sheryl Anayas and Liz Fikejs from Seattle Public (SPU) Utilities join us for an interview about the work they do to help prevent food waste, and how individuals can take action. What is Food Waste Prevention Week, and why is reducing food waste important?  Food … Continue reading “Food Waste Prevention Week 2025” 

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