Data for: Of the first five US states with food waste bans, Massachusetts alone has reduced landfill waste

Diverting food waste from landfills is crucial to reducing emissions and
meeting Paris Agreement targets. Between 2014 and 2024, nine US states
banned commercial waste generators---such as grocery chains---from
landfilling food waste, expecting a 10–15% waste reduction. However, no
evaluation of these bans exists. We compile a comprehensive waste dataset
covering 36 US states between 1996 and 2019 to evaluate the first five
implemented state-level bans. Contrary to policymakers' expectations,
we can reject aggregate waste reductions higher than 4.0%, and cannot
reject a zero-null aggregate effect. Moreover, we cannot reject a
zero-null effect for any other state except Massachusetts, which gradually
achieved a 13.1% reduction. Our findings reveal the need to reassess food
waste bans, using Massachusetts as a benchmark for success.