New policy briefing on food waste recycling behaviours

The successful implementation of food waste collection schemes hinges on a complex system of several interacting groups of actors (including citizens, waste collectors, and policy makers), operating at various levels (local authority, combined authority and central government), who must all appropriately orient their behaviour. Citizens’ behaviour in particular is a critical part of the whole system as they are the people responsible for initiating the end-of-life pathway for waste food.

We conducted a survey about food waste recycling attitudes and behaviours with UK citizens in 2021. Our summary findings are (download below);

• Strategies for increasing capacity might include ensuring clear and consistent messaging about what can and can’t be put in food waste bins.
  
  
• Strategies for increasing opportunity might include providing free bins, caddies
  and liners.
  
  
• Strategies for increasing motivation might include ensuring bins, caddies and liners are designed to meet user needs for cleanliness, convenience and hygiene; and ensuring new services are properly resourced to run effectively from the word go.
  
  Accessible format available here.