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How Neighbourhood Food Environments and a Pay-as-You-Throw (PAYT) Waste Program Impact Household Food Waste Disposal in the City of Toronto

Author

Listed:
  • Paul van der Werf

    (Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, Department of Geography, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada)

  • Kristian Larsen

    (CAREX Canada, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3, Canada
    Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada)

  • Jamie A. Seabrook

    (School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Brescia University College, Western University, London, ON N6G 1H2, Canada
    Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
    Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada)

  • Jason Gilliland

    (Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, Department of Geography, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
    Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
    Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada)

Abstract

Household food waste has negative, and largely unnecessary, environmental, social and economic impacts. A better understanding of current household food waste disposal is needed to help develop and implement effective interventions to reduce food wasting. A four-season waste characterization study was undertaken with 200 single-family households across eight neighbourhoods in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The City of Toronto provides residents with a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) waste program that includes a choice of four garbage cart sizes (Small [S], Medium [M], Large [L], Extra Large [XL]), with increasing annual user fees ($18.00–$411.00 CAD), as well as a green cart (organic waste) and blue cart (recycling). On average, each household disposed 4.22 kg/week of total food waste, 69.90% of which was disposed in the green cart, and disposal increased significantly ( p = 0.03) by garbage cart size to L but not XL garbage carts. Of this total, 61.78% consisted of avoidable food waste, annually valued at $630.00–$847.00 CAD/household. Toronto’s PAYT waste program has been effective at diverting food waste into the green cart but not at reducing its generation. Higher median incomes were positively correlated, while higher neighbourhood dwelling and population density were negatively correlated, with total and avoidable food waste disposal. Regression analyses explained 40–67% of the variance in total avoidable food waste disposal. Higher supermarket density and distance to healthier food outlets were associated with more, while dwelling density was related to less, total and avoidable food waste disposal. Distance to fast food restaurants and less healthy food outlet density were both negatively associated with avoidable food waste disposal in the garbage and green cart, respectively. Avoidable food waste reduction interventions could include increasing garbage cart fees, weight-based PAYT, or messaging to households on the monetary value of avoidable food waste, and working with food retailers to improve how households shop for their food.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul van der Werf & Kristian Larsen & Jamie A. Seabrook & Jason Gilliland, 2020. "How Neighbourhood Food Environments and a Pay-as-You-Throw (PAYT) Waste Program Impact Household Food Waste Disposal in the City of Toronto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7016-:d:405300
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Juliane Jörissen & Carmen Priefer & Klaus-Rainer Bräutigam, 2015. "Food Waste Generation at Household Level: Results of a Survey among Employees of Two European Research Centers in Italy and Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-21, March.
    2. Kristian Larsen & Brian Cook & Michelle Stone & Guy Faulkner, 2015. "Food access and children’s BMI in Toronto, Ontario: assessing how the food environment relates to overweight and obesity," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 60(1), pages 69-77, January.
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    4. Oecd, 2006. "Impacts of Unit-based Waste Collection Charges," OECD Papers, OECD Publishing, vol. 6(8), pages 1-157.
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    2. Claudia Giordano & Silvio Franco, 2021. "Household Food Waste from an International Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-9, May.
    3. Haley Everitt & Paul van der Werf & Jason A. Gilliland, 2023. "A Review of Household Food Waste Generation during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Deliberador, Lucas Rodrigues & Santos, Alexandre Borges & Carrijo, Pâmella Rodrigues Silva & Batalha, Mário Otávio & César, Aldara da Silva & Ferreira, Luís Miguel D.F., 2023. "How risk perception regarding the COVID-19 pandemic affected household food waste: Evidence from Brazil," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    5. Mirza Marvel Cequea & Jessika Milagros Vásquez Neyra & Valentina Gomes Haensel Schmitt & Marcos Ferasso, 2021. "Household Food Consumption and Wastage during the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak: A Comparison between Peru and Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-22, July.

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