The Proof Is in the Pudding: Using a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Long-Term Effectiveness of a Household Food Waste Reduction Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Haley Everitt, Paul van der Werf, Jamie A. Seabrook and Jason A. Gilliland ()
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Haley Everitt: University of Western Ontario
Paul van der Werf: University of Western Ontario
Jamie A. Seabrook: University of Western Ontario
Jason A. Gilliland: University of Western Ontario

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2023, vol. 3, issue 2, 881-898

Abstract: Abstract To halve per capita global food waste by 2030, policies and programs that effectively reduce household food waste generation are needed. Building upon a previous randomized controlled trial, this study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the “Reduce Food Waste, Save Money” household food waste reduction intervention by comparing direct measurements of household food waste generated by treatment (n = 47) and control households (n = 52) over three time periods. The results indicate that there has been a long-term, sustained 30% reduction of avoidable food waste sent to landfill by treatment households following the implementation of this intervention. Additionally, this study assessed the impact of pandemic circumstances on the quantity and composition of household food waste by comparing direct measurements of food waste generated by the same households before (October 2017) and during (June 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario, Canada, study households (n = 99) sent 2.98 kg of food waste to landfill per week, of which 54% was classified as avoidable food waste, and the remaining 46% as unavoidable food waste. During the pandemic, the generation of unavoidable food waste significantly increased by 65% (p

Keywords: Organic household waste; Waste management; Waste characterization; Longitudinal study; Direct measurement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00193-7

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