Certain groups have not considered food waste to be waste , because it still has applications . Overall , the definition of food waste can vary in many ways , including , but not limited to : what food waste consists of , how food waste is produced , and where\/what it is discarded from\/generated by . The definition can be varied and complicated by other issues ; certain groups do not consider ( or have traditionally not considered ) food waste to be a waste material , due to its applications ; some definitions of what food waste consists of are based on other waste definitions ( e.g. agricultural waste ) , and which materials do not meet their definitions .