Abstract
In 1973, Dr. Bill Rathje and his students at the University of Arizona began what was to become a two decade long investigation into American consumer waste habits. An archaeologist by profession, Rathje decided to adapt traditional archaeological methods and apply them to contemporary archaeological situations. This provided a platform for improving the understanding of what was really happening with, amongst other forms of waste, food at the consumer household level. The Garbage Project was able to study consumer behaviours directly from the material realities they left behind rather than from self-conscious self-reports of surveys and interviews. Using the same rationale, this study developed a profile of the packaged and processed food consumption in three regional Victorian municipalities. The main findings identified that consumers were limited to the food retail opportunities closest to their home and that they took greater care to wash out recyclables if they were placed in the recycling bin compared to the same item placed in a kerbside landfill bin. There was also an apparent lack of understanding about appropriate food storage and buying for purpose, especially with regard to the volume of the item they purchased, which appears to result in partially used recyclable containers being put in the kerbside landfill bin. By understanding the nature of the packaging and food that has been thrown away, it is possible to develop a narrative around what people understand about food purchasing practices, longevity, storage and how they use it at home. This in turn can assist community engagement and education around nutrition, meal planning and purchasing as well as community waste education.
Highlights
Changes to lifestyles, working habits, food health standards, labeling and food availability along with increased knowledge of different cultural food options have inevitably changed what and how people prepare, consume and waste food
What is often missed in the analysis of food waste is what it can tell us about the changing nature of our food waste as a reflection of our diet
Using the Garbage Project rationale, this study looks at three different municipal samples of general waste that was intended for landfill and recycling waste intended for a materials recycling facility (MRF)
Summary
Changes to lifestyles, working habits, food health standards, labeling and food availability along with increased knowledge of different cultural food options have inevitably changed what and how people prepare, consume and waste food. Recent waste audits and surveys in Victoria and New. South Wales suggest that food makes up about 40 per cent of the contents in the household garbage bin. South Wales suggest that food makes up about 40 per cent of the contents in the household garbage bin This translates into more than $1000 of food waste per household each year or $144 million in Victoria alone. What is often missed in the analysis of food waste is what it can tell us about the changing nature of our food waste as a reflection of our diet. While we are producing more food waste, we are producing more food packaging waste as well. This research provides the opportunity to understand what food waste and food packaging waste can tell us about current food consumption practices through the prism of what we dispose of in landfill waste and recycling
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