SC among most wasteful states for food, study says. Here’s where it ranks & why

Food waste is a stubborn problem in the country that many states are struggling to fight against, and South Carolina is no exception.

According to Recycle Track Systems, a sustainability company, the U.S. discards more food than any other country, wasting approximately 120 billion pounds of trash each year. That equates to 325 pounds of waste per person.

While it affects every part of the country, some states are much better at conserving food than others. To determine which states waste the most food, LawnStarter, a digital marketplace for lawn care, ranked each state on its wastefulness using 37 different key metrics.

SC was found to be one of the most struggling states when it comes to saving food. Here’s where the Palmetto State ranked, according to the study:

SC’s ranking and stats

SC is one of the most wasteful states in the country, ranking 9th for its overall food waste score. Out of 100, SC received a score of 46.1.

LawnStarter scores each state based on four key metrics: Commercial & Industrial Food Waste, Household Food Waste, Most Food Recycled and Food Waste Reduction Efforts. SC ranked 46th, 43rd, 36th and 19th respectively in each category.

SC recorded the highest year-over-year increase in farm waste of any state in the country, a 41% jump in farm waste tonnage and a 103.9% surge in the value of farm surplus generated, according to the study. It’s not exactly South Carolinians’ fault, however.

Natural disasters from the 2024 hurricane season, such as Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene, devastated farms in the Carolinas, causing crop damage in the state’s agricultural sector. As a result, the crops that couldn’t be sold were recorded as farm waste.

SC ranked low for other reasons as well. The state’s food recycling rate declined from 2023 to 2024, dropping 1.15% to a rate of 29.03%.

Retail food waste increased by 4.17% year-over-year, and residential waste decreased by only 2.59% from 2023 to 2024, which is the smallest household waste reduction in the country.

5 least & most wasteful states

These states waste the most food in the country, according to LawnStarter. Here are their rankings and their overall score out of 100:

1. Texas: Overall score is 34.14
2. California: Overall score is 37.25
3. Florida: Overall score is 41.06
4. Mississippi: Overall score is 44.47
5. West Virginia: Overall score is 44.93

These states waste the least amount of food:

1. Connecticut: Overall score is 78.25
2. Rhode Island: Overall score is 75.25
3. Massachusetts: Overall score is 73.02
4. Vermont: Overall score is 71.28
5. Maryland: Overall score is 68.92

Methodology

LawnStarter used 37 metrics to rank each state on its wastefulness, with the metrics grouped into four main categories: Commercial & Industrial Food Waste, Household Food Waste, Most Food Recycled and Food Waste Reduction Efforts. They considered each state’s most recent food waste data by sector from ReFED (a national food waste nonprofit) — specifically, residential, farm, foodservice, retail, and manufacturing.

They also considered rates of food waste recycling and mitigation efforts like food waste disposal bans, food sharing programs, and composting facilities, according to their website. They calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each state to determine its rank in each factor, each category and overall.

This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "SC among most wasteful states for food, study says. Here’s where it ranks & why."