Output details

Food for Thought? A UK pilot study testing a methodology for compositional domestic food waste analysis

Food for Thought proposes a method of measuring domestic food waste. It describes the method in use and notates the qualitative and quantitative findings from its application. It also compares these results to existing findings from other methods of measuring domestic food waste such as weekly waste collection, with manual separation and weighing which can be compromised by decomposition in the weekly interval.

This paper builds on previous work, published in Waste Management & Research (WR&P), exploring the use of uncertainty analysis to estimate potential food waste savings for proposed interventions (Langley, J., Yoxall, A., (2009) “The Use of Uncertainty Analysis as a Food Waste Estimation Tool”, Waste Management & Research, 27 (3): 199-206,). This was developed by commission from WR&P as a tool for measuring the potential waste savings of interventions proposed to WRAP.

Langley was the lead author and researcher on this output, designing the methodology, the food waste diary and analysing the findings. Yoxall, Heppell, Rodriguez and Bradbury supported the work by critically reviewing the methodology and construction of the diary questions. Lewis, Luxmoore, Hodzic and Rowson supported the work by critically reviewing the data analysis and conclusions.

The paper also relates to research published in Packaging Technology and Science, which explores the influence that food packaging design can have on consumers food waste behaviour (Langley, J., Yoxall, A., “Attributes of Packaging and their Influence on Waste”, Packaging Technology & Science, 24(3) 161-175, 2011).