Food waste is associated with irrational management processes that take place at different stages of the food chain. It is estimated that the scale of food waste among households is the highest  compared to other stages of this chain. The main objective of the research study was to determine the scale of food waste among students of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn  (UWM), to identify the food waste reasons, to determine the frequency of that phenomenon, to pinpoint the most frequently wasted products and to gauge the level of student awareness of the  food waste issue. The research study was conducted based on a survey questionnaire and a week-lasting interview. In the survey participated 225 students and in the one week-lasting project –  20. Over 90 % of the respondents admitted they threw out food. The most frequent reasons why the UWM students wasted food were the expiration of the use-by date of the product, spoilage of  the food product or loss of food product freshness. The most often thrown out food products were: bread, ready-made meals, fruits and vegetables. Regarding the quantity, the most food products were thrown out because of the too large portions prepared for meals. Various food products were thrown out once a week or once a month and this confirmed the phenomenon of  regular food waste. It was proved that the students were aware of the food waste problem at the global scale, however their attitudes did not contribute to reducing this waste.