Quantifying the carbon footprint of household food waste and associated GHGs in Oakville, Ontario, and a municipality's role in reducing both food waste and GHGs

Abstract

The study established a defensible estimate of household food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Participants from 65 households measured food waste for seven consecutive days and then reported volume by food type, meal, day of the week, and whether it was avoidable or unavoidable. Participants from 26 households were then interviewed to gather further insights. This primary research enabled the comparative impact of correlating factors driving food waste among households with differing age and socio‐economic demographics to be quantified. The estimates of food waste and associated greenhouse gases encompassed food types, their disposal by individual households, and the subsequent management of municipal solid waste streams. Reported as carbon dioxide equivalents, the study's results identified where the greatest impacts on the carbon footprint of food waste can be achieved and the role that the municipality can play in motivating and enabling behaviours that lead to reductions in household food waste and associated greenhouse gases.