The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in ... more The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in particular, if the household's application of the scheme improved after two interventions: (a) shorter distance to the drop-off point and (b) easy access to correct sorting information. The effect of these interventions was quantified and, as far as possible, isolated from other factors that can influence the recycling behaviour. The study was based on households located in an urban residential area in Sweden, where waste composition studies were performed before and after the interventions by manual sorting (pick analysis). Statistical analyses of the results indicated a significant decrease (28%) of packaging and newsprint in the residual waste after establishing a property close collection system (intervention (a)), as well as significant decrease (70%) of the miss-sorted fraction in bags intended for food waste after new information stickers were introduced (intervention (b)). Pr...
Sustainable Resource Recovery and Zero Waste Approaches, 2019
Household waste management is a challenging task because of the increasing amount of waste global... more Household waste management is a challenging task because of the increasing amount of waste globally and the large quantity of different materials in this waste stream. Sorting the waste at the source, the place where it is generated, is a crucial task to promote recycling and circular economy. In this chapter, the role of the households in waste sorting at the source, as well as the factors that influence this sorting, is presented before discussing and giving examples of technical systems that are used when sorting at the source. Following this discussion, we return to the system perspective when presenting the recycling behavior transition procedure that, based on the needs of the households, can be used to identify, implement, and analyze interventions to improve the interface between the households and the technical part of any waste management system. Finally, we explain the impacts of source separation for a sustainable society.
Municipality Solid Waste Management systems (MSWM) are large technical systems which involve many... more Municipality Solid Waste Management systems (MSWM) are large technical systems which involve many factors such as environments, technologies, people, businesses, politics, education, research, and ...
Background Segregation of household waste at the source is an effective and sustainable strategy ... more Background Segregation of household waste at the source is an effective and sustainable strategy for management of municipal waste. However, household segregation levels remain insufficient as waste management approaches are mostly top down and lack local support. The realisation and recognition of effective, improved and adequate waste management may be one of the vital drivers for attaining environmental protection and improved health and well-being. The presence of a local level motivator may promote household waste segregation and ultimately pro-environmental behaviour. The present cluster randomized control trial aims to understand if volunteer based information on waste segregation (I-MISS) can effectively promote increased waste segregation practices at the household level when compared with existing routine waste segregation information in an urban Indian setting. Methods This paper describes the protocol of an 18 month two-group parallel,cluster randomised controlled triali...
This chapter introduces aspects of food surplus and food waste in relation to sustainable develop... more This chapter introduces aspects of food surplus and food waste in relation to sustainable development. Food surplus and food waste are related to all three aspects of sustainable development. Food surplus can be donated to people in need, covering both their social and economic needs. Food waste leads to economic costs for producers and sellers, which is borne by households via increased price. Food waste also has an enormous environmental impact. The environmental impact can be calculated using the life-cycle assessment methodology, which is also introduced in this chapter. Also, previous results that compare relative environmental impacts of alternative ways of managing food waste are reviewed. The chapter ends with conclusions and future perspectives.
Successful establishment of a worldwide circular bioeconomy lies, at great extent, in establishin... more Successful establishment of a worldwide circular bioeconomy lies, at great extent, in establishing processes for the conversion of various industrial and municipal sidestreams, residuals, and wastes into feed, food, bio-based chemicals, and bioenergy. The diversity of materials, in terms of both amount and composition, around the world also calls for the development of a panoply of resource recovery strategies to meet country-level needs. This chapter provides an overview of biological (aerobic and anaerobic microbial methods) and thermochemical (combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis) processes with potential for the recovery of nutrients and/or their conversion into various products (e.g., electricity, heat, biofuels, biochemicals, and feed and food ingredients). The social aspects surrounding resource recovery and the limitations related to each of the described strategies are also addressed. Lastly, a discussion on integration and diversification of the considered strategies, l...
Upcycled foods contain unmarketable ingredients (e.g., damaged food produce, by-products and scra... more Upcycled foods contain unmarketable ingredients (e.g., damaged food produce, by-products and scraps from food preparation) that otherwise would not be directed for human consumption. Upcycled food is a new food category and thus faces several challenges, such as definition development, inclusion in the food waste management hierarchy and public acceptability. This review provides an overview of these three challenges. The upcycled food definitions have been developed for research, food manufacturers, and multi-stakeholders use. Thus, there is a need for a consumer-friendly definition for the general public. A simplified definition is proposed to introduce these foods as environmentally friendly foods containing safe ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption such as damaged food produce, by-products and scraps from food preparation. Moreover, an updated version of the food waste management hierarchy has been proposed by including the production of upcycled f...
Among household solid waste (HSW) components, the waste of packaging has become a symbol of dispo... more Among household solid waste (HSW) components, the waste of packaging has become a symbol of disposal in today’s societies due to its materials diversity, processing, and quantity. The packaging waste forms 30-35% of total HSW, on a global scale. However, the packaging waste could be valuable resource for material recovery if it properly separated and sorted by consumers. Waste separation rather than citizen’s duty is a moral obligation that demands actively engage a consumer with the process. Hence, the packaging communication ability with a consumer has been taken into consideration to encourage and leading a consumer through sorting food packaging waste. Different types of packaging may influence consumer behavior in different ways. So, the communication to be effective needs to specific knowledge about the influence of each packaging attributes on consumer recycling behavior. This research, therefore, sets out to identify, analyze, and evaluate the influence of different attribut...
New food sources are explored to provide food security in sustainable ways. The submerged ferment... more New food sources are explored to provide food security in sustainable ways. The submerged fermentation of edible filamentous fungi is a promising strategy to provide nutritious and affordable food that is expected to have a low environmental impact. The aim of the current study was to assess the novel use of Aspergillus oryzae cultivated in submerged fermentation on oat flour as a source for food products that do not undergo secondary fermentation or significant downstream processing. The fungus was cultivated in a pilot-scale airlift bioreactor, and the biomass concentration and protein content of the biomass were assessed. A tasting with an untrained panel assessed consumer preferences regarding the taste and texture of minimally processed vegetarian and vegan burger patties made from the biomass, and how the patties fared against established meat-alternative-based patties. The cultivation of Aspergillus oryzae resulted in a yield of 6 g/L dry biomass with a protein content of 37%...
The current study aims to assess how a novel fungi product made from the filamentous fungus Neuro... more The current study aims to assess how a novel fungi product made from the filamentous fungus Neurospora intermedia, cultivated on bread residuals, is perceived using questionnaires. Participants were asked to rate characteristic attributes of a fungi burger patty and state their preference when comparing it to Quorn and hamburger patties. The data were analyzed to assess whether gender or age was statistically associated with preference profiles. Neither age nor gender was associated with the preference profiles regarding the comparison of burger patties. Except for age and bitterness, age and gender were also not associated with the preference profiles regarding the sensory characteristics of the fungi burger patty. Most of the participants liked the characteristics of the fungi burger patty. The results indicate that fungi products from waste can become accepted products when information dissemination targets environmental benefits. Moreover, to be commercially accepted, the chewin...
Household waste sorting at the source is an essential part of the waste management system in many... more Household waste sorting at the source is an essential part of the waste management system in many countries. Correct sorting of this waste, including food packaging waste, is cost-effective, it facilitates the recycling process and enhances the quality of the recycled product. Although there is a growing body of research that studies the effect of different attributes of food packaging on household recycling behavior, the effect of these attributes on the sorting of the food packaging waste is not well known. This contribution reviews work that studies the relationship between attributes of food packaging and consumer sorting behavior. The review highlights the potential of the visual attributes and the quality of packaging as a communication channel for encouraging consumers to sort the food packaging waste. The efficiency of the waste management system and the quality of recycled products can hence be affected by the proper design of food packaging.
The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in ... more The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in particular, if the household's application of the scheme improved after two interventions: (a) shorter distance to the drop-off point and (b) easy access to correct sorting information. The effect of these interventions was quantified and, as far as possible, isolated from other factors that can influence the recycling behaviour. The study was based on households located in an urban residential area in Sweden, where waste composition studies were performed before and after the interventions by manual sorting (pick analysis). Statistical analyses of the results indicated a significant decrease (28%) of packaging and newsprint in the residual waste after establishing a property close collection system (intervention (a)), as well as significant decrease (70%) of the miss-sorted fraction in bags intended for food waste after new information stickers were introduced (intervention (b)). Pr...
Sustainable Resource Recovery and Zero Waste Approaches, 2019
Household waste management is a challenging task because of the increasing amount of waste global... more Household waste management is a challenging task because of the increasing amount of waste globally and the large quantity of different materials in this waste stream. Sorting the waste at the source, the place where it is generated, is a crucial task to promote recycling and circular economy. In this chapter, the role of the households in waste sorting at the source, as well as the factors that influence this sorting, is presented before discussing and giving examples of technical systems that are used when sorting at the source. Following this discussion, we return to the system perspective when presenting the recycling behavior transition procedure that, based on the needs of the households, can be used to identify, implement, and analyze interventions to improve the interface between the households and the technical part of any waste management system. Finally, we explain the impacts of source separation for a sustainable society.
Municipality Solid Waste Management systems (MSWM) are large technical systems which involve many... more Municipality Solid Waste Management systems (MSWM) are large technical systems which involve many factors such as environments, technologies, people, businesses, politics, education, research, and ...
Background Segregation of household waste at the source is an effective and sustainable strategy ... more Background Segregation of household waste at the source is an effective and sustainable strategy for management of municipal waste. However, household segregation levels remain insufficient as waste management approaches are mostly top down and lack local support. The realisation and recognition of effective, improved and adequate waste management may be one of the vital drivers for attaining environmental protection and improved health and well-being. The presence of a local level motivator may promote household waste segregation and ultimately pro-environmental behaviour. The present cluster randomized control trial aims to understand if volunteer based information on waste segregation (I-MISS) can effectively promote increased waste segregation practices at the household level when compared with existing routine waste segregation information in an urban Indian setting. Methods This paper describes the protocol of an 18 month two-group parallel,cluster randomised controlled triali...
This chapter introduces aspects of food surplus and food waste in relation to sustainable develop... more This chapter introduces aspects of food surplus and food waste in relation to sustainable development. Food surplus and food waste are related to all three aspects of sustainable development. Food surplus can be donated to people in need, covering both their social and economic needs. Food waste leads to economic costs for producers and sellers, which is borne by households via increased price. Food waste also has an enormous environmental impact. The environmental impact can be calculated using the life-cycle assessment methodology, which is also introduced in this chapter. Also, previous results that compare relative environmental impacts of alternative ways of managing food waste are reviewed. The chapter ends with conclusions and future perspectives.
Successful establishment of a worldwide circular bioeconomy lies, at great extent, in establishin... more Successful establishment of a worldwide circular bioeconomy lies, at great extent, in establishing processes for the conversion of various industrial and municipal sidestreams, residuals, and wastes into feed, food, bio-based chemicals, and bioenergy. The diversity of materials, in terms of both amount and composition, around the world also calls for the development of a panoply of resource recovery strategies to meet country-level needs. This chapter provides an overview of biological (aerobic and anaerobic microbial methods) and thermochemical (combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis) processes with potential for the recovery of nutrients and/or their conversion into various products (e.g., electricity, heat, biofuels, biochemicals, and feed and food ingredients). The social aspects surrounding resource recovery and the limitations related to each of the described strategies are also addressed. Lastly, a discussion on integration and diversification of the considered strategies, l...
Upcycled foods contain unmarketable ingredients (e.g., damaged food produce, by-products and scra... more Upcycled foods contain unmarketable ingredients (e.g., damaged food produce, by-products and scraps from food preparation) that otherwise would not be directed for human consumption. Upcycled food is a new food category and thus faces several challenges, such as definition development, inclusion in the food waste management hierarchy and public acceptability. This review provides an overview of these three challenges. The upcycled food definitions have been developed for research, food manufacturers, and multi-stakeholders use. Thus, there is a need for a consumer-friendly definition for the general public. A simplified definition is proposed to introduce these foods as environmentally friendly foods containing safe ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption such as damaged food produce, by-products and scraps from food preparation. Moreover, an updated version of the food waste management hierarchy has been proposed by including the production of upcycled f...
Among household solid waste (HSW) components, the waste of packaging has become a symbol of dispo... more Among household solid waste (HSW) components, the waste of packaging has become a symbol of disposal in today’s societies due to its materials diversity, processing, and quantity. The packaging waste forms 30-35% of total HSW, on a global scale. However, the packaging waste could be valuable resource for material recovery if it properly separated and sorted by consumers. Waste separation rather than citizen’s duty is a moral obligation that demands actively engage a consumer with the process. Hence, the packaging communication ability with a consumer has been taken into consideration to encourage and leading a consumer through sorting food packaging waste. Different types of packaging may influence consumer behavior in different ways. So, the communication to be effective needs to specific knowledge about the influence of each packaging attributes on consumer recycling behavior. This research, therefore, sets out to identify, analyze, and evaluate the influence of different attribut...
New food sources are explored to provide food security in sustainable ways. The submerged ferment... more New food sources are explored to provide food security in sustainable ways. The submerged fermentation of edible filamentous fungi is a promising strategy to provide nutritious and affordable food that is expected to have a low environmental impact. The aim of the current study was to assess the novel use of Aspergillus oryzae cultivated in submerged fermentation on oat flour as a source for food products that do not undergo secondary fermentation or significant downstream processing. The fungus was cultivated in a pilot-scale airlift bioreactor, and the biomass concentration and protein content of the biomass were assessed. A tasting with an untrained panel assessed consumer preferences regarding the taste and texture of minimally processed vegetarian and vegan burger patties made from the biomass, and how the patties fared against established meat-alternative-based patties. The cultivation of Aspergillus oryzae resulted in a yield of 6 g/L dry biomass with a protein content of 37%...
The current study aims to assess how a novel fungi product made from the filamentous fungus Neuro... more The current study aims to assess how a novel fungi product made from the filamentous fungus Neurospora intermedia, cultivated on bread residuals, is perceived using questionnaires. Participants were asked to rate characteristic attributes of a fungi burger patty and state their preference when comparing it to Quorn and hamburger patties. The data were analyzed to assess whether gender or age was statistically associated with preference profiles. Neither age nor gender was associated with the preference profiles regarding the comparison of burger patties. Except for age and bitterness, age and gender were also not associated with the preference profiles regarding the sensory characteristics of the fungi burger patty. Most of the participants liked the characteristics of the fungi burger patty. The results indicate that fungi products from waste can become accepted products when information dissemination targets environmental benefits. Moreover, to be commercially accepted, the chewin...
Household waste sorting at the source is an essential part of the waste management system in many... more Household waste sorting at the source is an essential part of the waste management system in many countries. Correct sorting of this waste, including food packaging waste, is cost-effective, it facilitates the recycling process and enhances the quality of the recycled product. Although there is a growing body of research that studies the effect of different attributes of food packaging on household recycling behavior, the effect of these attributes on the sorting of the food packaging waste is not well known. This contribution reviews work that studies the relationship between attributes of food packaging and consumer sorting behavior. The review highlights the potential of the visual attributes and the quality of packaging as a communication channel for encouraging consumers to sort the food packaging waste. The efficiency of the waste management system and the quality of recycled products can hence be affected by the proper design of food packaging.
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