Compositional Analysis of Street Market Food Waste in Brazil

Pedro Brancoli, Fausto Makishi, Paula Garcia Lima and Kamran Rousta
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Pedro Brancoli: Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
Fausto Makishi: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Avenida Universitária 1000, Montes Claros 39404-547, MG, Brazil
Paula Garcia Lima: Department of Management, Development and Technology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Domingos da Costa Lopes, 780-Jd. Itaipu-Tupã, Sao Paulo 17602-496, SP, Brazil
Kamran Rousta: Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Current understanding of food waste quantities in the Brazilian retail sector is limited. In order to develop efficient measures for food waste prevention and valorisation, reliable data on waste generation and composition are necessary. In this study, a compositional analysis of street market waste was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 4.1 tonnes of waste were sorted into 27 waste fractions, categorised using a three-level approach. The average waste generation in the studied street markets was 23.7 kg per stall, of which 12.8 kg was classified as unavoidable food waste, 3.6 kg as packaging waste, and 7.4 kg as avoidable waste. The results show large amounts of unavoidable food waste, comprised of coconut, sugarcane bagasse, and peels. A large share of the avoidable food waste is comprised of single leaves, tomatoes, oranges, and bananas. Large variations were observed among the street markets analysed, both in terms of the food waste generation rate, and composition. The results from scaling up the data at the city level indicated a total wastage of 59,300 tonnes per year, of which 18,400 tonnes are classified as avoidable food waste.

Keywords: food waste; street market; waste composition analysis; fresh fruits and vegetables; waste management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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