Go to a restaurant or hotel in your city, and chances are you’ll find they’re contributing to our nation’s food waste problem. It’s not limited to organizations that serve food—I’d wager that if many of us examined our own grocery purchases and consumption habits, we’d find we waste our share of food.

The statistics show just how glaringly bad the problem of food waste in the United States is. According to a report, the Environmental Protection Agency “estimates that 63.1 million tons of food waste was generated in the commercial, institutional, and residential sectors in 2018, which is 21.6 percent of total MSW generation” (MSW stands for municipal solid waste.)

Organizations like my own are out there trying to address the problem of food waste. But despite current efforts, more can be done to create an equitable approach to food waste management. Here are three key steps organizations—be they global corporations or local, family-run businesses—can take to create more equitable food waste management practices.

  1. Consider Supporting A Broader Mix of Nonprofits Large food banks do a lot of good for communities, and corporations frequently partner with them.
  2. Take Action By Examining Internal Practices Consider these startling findings from a 2016 report by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance: Restaurant survey respondents “reported a food waste disposal rate of 93.7%. In 2016, 4.2% of reported food waste was recycled, and 2% of food was donated.
  3. Be Accountable Taking action—examining and changing practices—is only part of the equation. Businesses should take accountability by regularly evaluating their practices and changing course as needed.

Read the full article about food waste by Christopher Dipnarine at Forbes.