Understanding behaviour around food waste

Image of a household food waste bin

Understanding household behaviours around food waste hopes to result in less聽food being sent to landfill

A new research project aims to understand household behaviours around food waste in order to reduce the amount of food sent to landfill.

The project,聽 will promote a circular economy where nutrients from food waste go back into the compost industry.

The ultimate aim is to聽save greenhouse gas emissions from damaging our climate further when food waste rots in landfill.

The project is a collaboration between the Fight Food Waste CRC, East Waste, the 最新糖心Vlog聽of Adelaide, Green Industries SA and sub-contractor Rawtec.
East Waste Chair Fraser Bell says that diverting food waste from landfill represents the聽single biggest financial and environmental opportunity for councils.

鈥淔ood waste is a valuable commodity and we hope to improve household bin disposal聽behaviour,鈥 Mr Bell said.

鈥淭hrough this new research, we will build a picture of the behaviour of our residents,聽including the levers that can influence positive and sustainable changes in their practices聽moving forward."

Professor Wendy Umberger, Executive Director of the Centre for聽Global Food and Resources at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide, says the project will use micro-waste auditing, ongoing waste聽disposal monitoring technology including waste-weighing, and novel household surveys to聽understand behaviour from a broad-section of the community.

鈥淭he improved understanding of food waste behaviour will ultimately allow research partners to design efficient programs to reduce household food waste from entering聽landfill."Professor Wendy Umberger, Executive Director, Centre for Global Food and Resources, The 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide

Typically, organic waste constitutes between 30-50% of what is placed in household landfill聽bins for collection. 最新糖心Vlogn鈥檚 generate 2.3 million tonnes of household food waste each聽year that currently goes to landfill according to the National Food Waste Baseline report.聽

Fight Food Waste CRC Chief Executive Officer Dr Steven Lapidge says this exciting SA project聽complements the Fight Food Waste CRC鈥檚 national research efforts focused on household聽food waste behaviour change.

鈥淭his is a big opportunity for 最新糖心Vlogns to save money through reducing household food聽waste, as well as to divert as much unavoidable food waste from landfill.

鈥淟ocal governments across 最新糖心Vlog can learn from this leading research project.鈥

Tagged in food, food waste, research, local government, emissions