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Door-stepping as a strategy for improved food waste recycling behaviour Evaluation of a full-scale experiment

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Author

Summary, in English

Comparisons were made between two groups of households in a multi-family residential area in order to investigate how oral information through a door-stepping campaign can influence household food waste recycling behaviour from a quantitative as well as qualitative perspective. Source-separation behaviour was assessed both through weakly weighting of all source-separated food waste and dry recyclables as well as residual waste generated over a period of 104 weeks, as well as repeated waste composition analyses. Introduction of source-separation of food waste for biogas production significantly decreased the generation of residual waste in the whole case-study area. An average generation of 0.72 and 0.71 kg, household(-1), week(-1) of separately collected food waste was found amongst households receiving and not contacted through the door-stepping campaign respectively. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant. Four waste composition analyses show that the average source-separation ratio of food waste was higher and the ratio of incorrectly sorter material lower in the food waste fraction amongst households where oral information had been provided. A decrease over time in the source-separation ratio of food waste amongst households receiving oral information suggests a low durability of the door-stepping campaign. No signs were seen of increased source-separation ratio or decreased ratio of incorrectly sorted material amongst dry recyclables. The study supports previous findings pointing at accessibility as a key factor for increased recycling behaviour. However, results also suggest that such systems must address convenience also in the household interior. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Publishing year

2013

Language

English

Pages

94-103

Publication/Series

Resources, Conservation & Recycling

Volume

73

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Chemical Engineering

Keywords

  • Door-stepping
  • Information
  • Recycling
  • Food waste
  • Incentives

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0921-3449