Target: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan
Goal: Stop wasting $165 billion of food every year.
America wastes $165 billion in food every year while 1 in 5 children suffers from hunger. It’s time for things change, and one part of that solution is simple. We can easily decrease the amount of waste generated every year by 44% with a “Pay As You Throw” Program (PAYT).
The world already produces enough food to feed not only every person on the planet today, but also the additional 2.5 billion people who will be living here in 25 years. With smarter programs like PAYT, food waste will be curbed significantly. Encouraging people to only buy only what they will eat, to take home leftovers, and to utilize composting, we will protect our planet from both hunger and climate change. The only solution to feeding more is by wasting less.
PAYT Programs have proven to decrease the amount of food wasted annually, and it’s also shown to increase recycling by 75-100%. As of now, households pay for waste removal through their property taxes or by a fixed fee that does not take into account how much waste that household generates. With the PAYT Program, people will be charged for the amount of waste they throw away, instead of a flat fee, incentivizing households to reduce their waste and recycle more. This will help generate the funds needed to deal with their communities’ waste, while rewarding households for wasting less and recycling more.
Nearly 18 million households suffer from food insecurity, hitting families with children the hardest. It’s time to start taking steps to end hunger, reduce waste, and protect our planet from greenhouse gas emissions, and the PAYT Program is a simple and logical part of that solution. Sign the petition below and show your support for this critical piece of legislation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Ryan,
One in five children in America go to bed hungry while the country continues to throw away $156 billion of food every year. It is time to take real and sensible steps toward ending child hunger. We already produce enough food to feed the world, we just need to ensure that the food gets into the hands of the hungry and not straight into our landfills. Also, by reducing the food we waste, we can help curb the incredibly high levels of greenhouse gases that are produced from the production and destruction of our food.
The Pay as You Throw Program has proven to be an effective method, showing an average 44% decrease in waste disposal and increasing recycling by an average of 75-100%. This program will lower the overall waste generated by households, which in turn, lowers the greenhouse gases emitted from our landfills. And by giving households the ability to control their own waste disposal fees, they will only be paying for the waste they generate instead of the unfair and unstable flat fee that is now commonly in place around the country. We stand together to tell you that it is time America took responsibility for the waste we generate and help to protect our environment, our children, and their future.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: detsang
2786 Signatures