"Reduce Food Waste, Save Money": Testing a Novel Intervention to Reduce Household Food Waste. Issue 2 (February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van der Werf, Paul; Seabrook, Jamie A.; Gilliland, Jason A.
• Is Part Of: Environment and behavior. Volume 53:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 151
• Page End: 183
• Publication Date: 2021-02
• Subjects: household food waste -- intervention -- waste characterization -- theory of planned behavior -- avoidable food waste; Human ecology -- Periodicals; 304.2
• DOI: 10.1177/0013916519875180
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-9165

Abstract

An intervention, which used elements of the theory of planned behavior, was developed and tested in a randomized control trial (RCT) involving households in the city of London, Ontario, Canada. A bespoke methodology involving the direct collection and measurement of food waste within curbside garbage samples of control ( n = 58) and treatment households ( n = 54) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. A comparison of garbage samples before and after the intervention revealed that total food waste in treatment households decreased by 31% after the intervention and the decrease was significantly greater ( p = .02) than for control households. Similarly, avoidable food waste decreased by 30% in treatment households and was also significantly greater ( p = .05) than for control households. Key determinants of treatment household avoidable food waste reduction included personal attitudes, perceived behavioral control, the number of people in a household, and the amount of garbage set out.