The world discards over one billion tons of food each year, equating to one billion edible meals wasted daily. China discards approximately 108.6 million tons of food annually, the highest total, while the United States discards nearly 25 million tons and ranks fifth. Per capita, China averages about 76 kilograms per person and the United States about 73 kilograms. The Maldives averages 207 kilograms per person annually, driven by intensive tourism. Resorts contribute nearly 17% of all waste in the Maldives, with each tourist generating an average of about 3.3 kilograms of waste per day and more than two million tourists visiting yearly.
The world throws over one billion tons of food in the trash every single year, according to the United Nations. This translates to one billion edible meals wasted each day. That number is staggering. This is a global problem, and though the United States is often criticized for being a wasteful nation, but it's nowhere near the top when it comes to being most wasteful. Whether you look at overall waste or waste per capita, the U.S. falls short of the record. Those dubious honors go to China and the Maldives, respectively.
In the Maldives, the waste issue is more complex than it seems. The country is a string of islands, some of which may have only a single resort on them. Tourism drives their economy; much of this waste is generated by tourists and resort staff as the tourism industry is inherently wasteful. One study from the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency suggests nearly 17% of all waste in the Maldives comes from resorts.
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