This is an erratum to the research article titled "Of the first five US states with food waste bans, only Massachusetts reduced landfill waste," published in Science, Volume 391, Number 6786, February 2026. [user query] The erratum refers to the original study that analyzed the top five states with state-level bans on food waste from commercial generators: California, Connecticut, Rhode Iceland, Vermont and Massachusetts.[3][5] The study used waste data from 36 US states between 1996 and 2019 and a synthetic control method to compare with similar states without a ban.[1][3] Aggregate reductions in landfill waste did not exceed 3.2 percent, and a zero effect cannot be ruled out for the four states outside of Massachusetts.[3][5] Massachusetts achieved an incremental waste reduction of 13.2 percent, accompanied by a 25.7 percent decrease in methane emissions per ton of waste.[2][3] Massachusetts attributes its success to affordable composting facilities, simple regulations, and strict controls.[1][2] The study recommends that other states reconsider the bans, with Massachusetts as a model.[3][5]