Compositional analysis of seasonal variation in Danish residual household waste

Abstract

Seasonal variations are considered one of the key factors affecting the generation and composition of residual waste. Despite this importance, attempts have not been made to characterize residual household waste consistently by accounting for seasonal variations in waste disposal patterns. To assess differences between seasons and within individual households, we collected residual household waste from the same 101 households in summer, autumn and winter. The waste bags were sorted individually, and residual household waste data (mass and composition) were generated for each household. In total, 3t of waste were collected, weighed and manually sorted into nine (9) waste fractions. The result of mixed linear model indicated that for this study area, seasonal variations may introduce no significant difference to the mass and composition of residual household waste. However, residual waste generation within a household may change significantly between the seasons. The result also showed that while household size may significantly influence the generation of residual household, the difference in residual household waste composition was not significantly different between household sizes.