scholarly journals Waste management as foodwork: A feminist food studies approach to household food waste

Author(s):  
Carly Fraser ◽  
Kate Parizeau

Food waste in Canada is estimated to amount to $31 billion per year, with approximately half of this waste occurring in households (Gooch & Felfel, 2014). However, household food waste studies remain underrepresented in the literature, particularly in a Canadian context. This paper calls on feminist food scholars to contribute to this gap by incorporating food waste analyses into their food research. This study uses a photovoice methodology and feminist analytical perspectives to investigate the moment when food became “waste” in 22 households in Guelph, Ontario. Findings suggest that food waste production is representative of forms of foodwork (DeVault, 1991), and that attention to food wasting reveals embodied knowledges of food and interactions with the food system. We contend that scholars and those concerned with household waste reduction should examine and consider how the responsibility for food waste management has been constructed to fall along gendered lines. The intersection of these findings with ongoing research in feminist food scholarship reveals that feminist food scholars are well placed to contribute to food waste studies.

Author(s):  
Alja Perger

North America is a big consumer and consequently a big producer of waste. For the purpose of this project, we were primarily interested in collecting information in North America, focusing on Quebec primarily. The main research question was risen up during the fieldwork and assistance with the Canadian company. It clearly presents the enterprise readiness for obtaining a smart solution on organic/food waste problem. It is believed, how organic/food waste can be a resource of a high value. There is a capacity of creating a new path, where organic/food waste could become the important as plant/field nutrient supply. The circular approach to organic waste management is urgently needed in a way how the organic waste should be reduced and returned as productive resource input into our economy. The paper presents a new value towards a sustainability process that Canada is building at the moment. It represents the innovative approach, which is highly accepted in some cities in Quebec with the obtained pilot projects and excellent results. This paper is not only a simple research paper, but it is also the very important original innovative document which can be highly used on the level of each municipality, region and federal level.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Nunkoo ◽  
Meetali Bhadain ◽  
Shabanaz Baboo

PurposeFood waste at the household level represents a major component of all food waste. Therefore minimizing food waste at the household level remains an important component of the food chain responsibility. This study explores the problem of food waste in Mauritius through an understanding of households' attitudes toward food waste and their motivations and barriers to food waste recycling.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a grounded theory approach to identify thematic categories that represent participants' attitudes toward food waste and the barriers they face to food waste reduction. We used a purposive sampling technique to guide the selection of participants. Interviews were conducted with 14 participants: three experts in food waste and 11 households. The data were analyzed using the tools of grounded theory.FindingsParticipants' expressed views on food waste included (1) guilt toward wasting food; (2) (lack of) environmental awareness; (3) financial considerations and (4) exemption from responsibility. The findings also led to the development of four themes that defined the barriers participants face to recycling food waste: (1) lack of awareness; (2) space limitations on recycling methods; (3) inadequate policy and (4) lack of time/priority.Practical implicationsAddressing the problem of food waste requires a holistic approach that takes into account households' attitudes to food waste, their motivation and barriers to food waste recycling as well as the regulatory and institutional framework governing food waste management in Mauritius. Policymakers should try to improve households' knowledge about food waste through educational campaigns. The authorities can provide different types of bins to households freely to facilitate the sorting out of waste and impose a fee for food waste generated beyond a certain limit or provide subsidies to them for handling food waste properly.Originality/valueThe management of food waste is particularly challenging for small islands developing states because of their unique characteristics of smallness, limited resources and environmental vulnerability. Appropriate interventions to reduce household food waste require place-based and geographically sensitive analyses that take into account the specificities of local food and waste management systems and cultural norms with respect to food. However, there is not only a paucity of research on household food waste, but most studies have been carried out in nonisland economies. The study contributes to the limited research on household food waste in small islands.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent A. Jereme ◽  
Chamhuri Siwar ◽  
Rawshan Ara Begum ◽  
Basri Abdul Talib ◽  
Er Ah Choy

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 864-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnbosco Emeka Umunnakwe ◽  
Ikem Ekweozor ◽  
Bernadine Akuoma Umunnakwe

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relationship between lifestyles, household and household wastes, by exploring possible future development path for the lifestyle and the possible consequences for household waste composition. The study predicates on a reasonably simple and straightforward idea that the waste generated from homes is a product of the way the people live and since the way of life of people change overtime, getting an idea of how people may live in future may give an insight into the sorts of composition of waste produced by them. It tends to provide a contribution to the evidence base on household waste at a general level. Design/methodology/approach The overall approach hinged on the notion that the household is the appropriate analytical unit of household waste production composition. This specified inputs needed to develop scenarios for future waste composition. The weekly generation of sorted wastes from their various sources was determined by direct measurement in kilograms on a weighing scale. Questionnaires were administered to elicit information on key drivers and factors that influence lifestyles scenarios and their development. Interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders and government agencies on waste management. Findings The results indicated that food related waste constituted the major percentages and tonnages (44 percent, 269,870 tons) of household waste, while the least portion was glass (1.2 percent,7,278 tons). The key drivers responsible for generation of food waste include level of income, subsistence farming that generate organic food waste and rise in fast food outfits that give preference to readymade food over cooking at homes. The drivers for developing future scenarios include population, government regulations, nature of apartment, level of income, consumer spending, management technology. Three scenarios were developed: status quo trends, strong government and destination point. Research limitations/implications Models should be developed for better simulation studies of lifestyle scenarios by quantifying household wastes in terms of carbon footprint and money instead of relying on quantities generated in tons. Further studies should extend to other sources of waste such as industrial waste, electrical and electronic waste, among others. The implication from research findings shows the need for sustained for sustained awareness on people’s lifestyle with regard to handling of household wastes by government agencies, institutions and non-governmental organizations. Scenario planning is required to enable, encourage and engage householders to make changes in their lifestyles. Practical implications Food waste, by virtue of its tonnage and percentage composition, dominated the overall picture during the study period and will continue to do so in the near future. The composition of household waste in the future will be driven by the population and lifestyles of the householders. The drivers of lifestyles are crucial factors that determine the picture of the future. Furthermore, it is possible to conjecture circumstances in which household waste is converted to wealth at the destination point but the period before then imply some radical changes in both lifestyles and underlying economic growth facilitated by a strong political will. Originality/value This research could be of enormous benefit to policy makers, practitioners and others with an interest in or responsibility to the development and implementation of sustainable waste management. Scenarios are devices for enabling organizations and the individuals within them better to understand their operating environment, so as to make better decisions. This research is a scenario-planning exercise, considering how future changes in lifestyles of people in Port Harcourt metropolis now and in future may impact on the future composition of wastes they generate.


2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzan Oelofse ◽  
Aubrey Muswema ◽  
Fhumulani Ramukhwatho

Food waste is becoming an important issue in light of population growth and global food security concerns. However, data on food wastage are limited, especially for developing countries. Global estimates suggest that households in developed countries waste more food than those in developing countries, but these estimates are based on assumptions that have not been tested. We therefore set out to present primary data relating to household food waste disposal for South Africa within the sub-Saharan African context. As the Gauteng Province contributes about 45% of the total municipal waste generated in South Africa, the case study area covers two of the large urban metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng, namely Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg, with a combined population of 8.33 million, representing nearly 15% of the South African population. Municipal solid waste characterisation studies using bulk sampling with randomised grab sub-sampling were undertaken over a 6-week period during summer in 2014 (Johannesburg) and 2016 (Ekurhuleni), covering a representative sample of the municipal waste collection routes from households in each of the two surveyed municipalities. The food waste component of the household waste (excluding garden waste) was 3% in Ekurhuleni and 7% in Johannesburg. The results indicate that an average of 0.48 kg (Ekurhuleni) and 0.69 kg (Johannesburg) of food waste (including inedible parts) is disposed of into the municipal bin per household per week in the two municipalities, respectively. This translates into per capita food waste disposal of 8 kg and 12 kg per annum, respectively, in South Africa as compared to the estimated 6–11 kg per annum in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-154
Author(s):  
Luthfina Ariyani ◽  
Kirana Rukmayuninda Ririh

The determinant factor identification of behavior considers as an important means in order to develop effective intevention towards household waste management in Indonesia. This study extended the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by using the following construct: intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceive behavioral control, government intervention, environmental knowledge and awareness, as well as household planning and buying habit; to understand household waste management behavior from the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ point of view. The structural equation modeling (SEM) were used in this study and the result showed that the model accounted for relatively substantial amount (61.7%) of the variance in intention, with the attitude, subjective norm, and environmental knowledge and awareness emerge as significant predictor.  Above findings could be used by both governmental and non-governmental organization to formulate strategies to manage food waste at the household level.


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