Ours has long been dubbed the Throwaway Society, and Americans' appetites depend on supermarkets, cafeterias and restaurants that sell the idea of overabundance and overconsumption.

The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report, issued in 1997, estimates Americans throw away 96 billion pounds of food each year, or roughly 27 percent of the estimated American food supply of 356 billion pounds. That loss includes, for example, a third of an 8-ounce glass of milk a day per person. Another daunting number: Nearly 15 percent of lettuce in supermarkets is tossed out.

A new USDA report, which probably will show more waste, is due next year, and activists suggest we really throw away as much as half our food.

To help consumers reduce waste, the EPA offers suggestions that include reducing the waste you generate, donating extra food to food banks and relief agencies and composting remaining food scraps.

As a new age of backyard gardeners, urban homesteaders and do-it-yourselfers look for ways to curb global warming, mainstream food magazines such as Eating Well and Cooking Light have featured articles depicting backyard composting as an easy, feel-good solution.

The potential is huge. Roughly the same amount of food (12.5 percent) as yard debris (12.8 percent) goes into the waste stream in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But far less food is diverted away from landfills. According to 2007 statistics, about 65 percent of yard waste is recycled, compared with less than 3 percent of food waste.

But tending the pile takes time, and not everyone gets into the ick factor. In a 2005 residential solid waste survey by the Mid-America Regional Council, residents in eight area counties were most willing to recycle paper products and least willing to recycle food waste. Finally, every-man-for-himself composting won't solve the larger issue: No one eats a banana peel or leftover sausage casings.

Food scraps decomposing in landfills create methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Yet, if properly handled, the waste can improve soil and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. As landfill space fills up, food waste composting is considered the next frontier in recycling.

That's where Missouri Organic comes in, offering a model for city governments that will eventually have to keep food out of landfills.

Missouri Organic composts on 10 acres, and reclaimed an impressive 15,000 tons of food waste last year. Earthmoving machines churn the windrows periodically to help Mother Nature keep things cooking.

After 15 weeks, the soil is ready to be sifted three times through ever-finer screens to remove as much stray plastic as possible — shopping bags, utensils and clamshell packaging. Eventually, the cured and now-sterilized compost is sold to lawn and garden centers, landscapers and backyard gardeners for $31.95 a cubic yard. From the soil to the plate, then back to the soil — environmentalists call it "closing the loop."