Danyi Qi|Brian E. Roe
Foodservice Composting Crowds Out Consumer Food Waste Reduction Behavior in a Dining Experiment
The Ohio State University|The Ohio State University
abstract many countries strive reduce food waste deprives hungry people nutrition depletes resources accounts substantial greenhouse gas emissions composting food waste recycling technologies divert food waste landfills mitigate environmental damages food waste disposal grown popularity explore whether consumer knowledge environmental damage created food waste mitigated recycling technologies undermines personal food waste reduction behavior subjects dining situation randomly assigned whether receive information negative effects landfilling food waste whether told uneaten food study composted landfilled find providing information negative effects food waste landfills significantly reduces total amount solid food waste created compared control situation features neither food waste reduction food waste recycling policy however subjects also informed food waste study composted amount solid food waste generated significantly greater food waste reduction policy implemented suggests crowding effect informational rebound effect promoting policies mitigate environmental damages food waste may unintentionally undermine policies meant encourage individual consumer food waste reduction discuss key policy implications well several limitations experimental setting analysis