With most Island families cooking and eating at home during the pandemic, Martha’s Vineyard households are churning out copious amounts of food waste that’s either still good to eat or ready to compost, said Eunice Youmans of the Martha’s Vineyard Food Waste Initiative.

But much of that bounty is going straight into the garbage, she said.

“Most Americans waste two out of every five bags they buy at the grocery store,” Ms. Youmans says.

“That’s like buying five bags of groceries, leaving two of them in the parking lot and driving over them on your way out.”

The food waste initiative, a collaboration with Island Grown Initiative and other Island nonprofits, is embarking on a six-week, interactive social media campaign designed to encourage Vineyard households to limit the amount of food they throw away.

The Food Waste Challenge begins next week with a two-week focus on assessing the amount of food waste a family is producing, according to a bilingual flyer for the campaign.

The two-week audit includes four challenges: overhauling and tidying the pantry, planning meals with ingredients on hand, recovering edible food by using or freezing it and recycling the rest for compost.

The campaign calls for families to share their experiences on Facebook and Twitter, with Brown Banana award rankings for notable contributions.

More food is recoverable than many people think, Ms. Youmans said. Citrus peels, for instance, can replace costly flavoring extracts.

“The zest of an orange, as well as a lemon, has all that amazing flavor right in it,” she said.

Islanders can dispose of their unwanted food waste at no-cost in bins outside the Thimble Farm gate, off Stoney Hill Road in Oak Bluffs, Ms. Youmans said. Morning Glory Farm accepts food waste at its composting operation off Meshacket Road in Edgartown and Island transfer stations take food waste for $2 per small bag, she said.

More information about the food waste challenge will be posted next week on the Island Grown website and social media, Ms. Youmans said. To join the challenge, email office@igimv.org.