Characteristics, environmental impact, and reduction strategies of food waste generated by young adults: Case study on university canteens in Wuhan, China

Abstract

Food waste (FW) generated by students or young adults, who belong to a huge consumer group, has gained immense attention since they have turned out to be a huge consumers group. Considering the university canteens (25–30 million people living on campus in China) as an example, we combined direct weighing, questionnaires, statistical analysis, and a random forest model to quantify the FW and identify the key influencing factors based on a total of 1,612 weighed samples and 1222 questionnaires from seven universities in Wuhan city in 2019. The associated environmental impacts of FW were evaluated using LCA. The results showed that university students in Wuhan city produced FW 135 ± 114 g per capita per meal (406 ± 337 g per capita per day), or approximately 53 kilotons per year (2019) (134 kiloton CO2e) of FW, of which lunch generated the highest waste. The relationship between the FW generated and students' age and gender were significant; for example, seniors produced more FW than freshmen, and male students wasted less food than the female students. The results of random forst indicated that the most key factor influding FW was excessive purchasing. Student's environmental protection consciousness and attitudes toward avoiding wasting food (e.g., a strong feeling of guilt) were viewed as the most important factors that prevent FW. In addition, the appropriate quantity and quality of food provided by canteens are probably the dominant approaches in reducing FW.