Behavior Of Waste Research Articles

Impact of food waste-related course attendance on students’ food waste reduction behaviours and knowledge: a case study from Indonesia

PurposeThis study aims to examine food waste behaviours among university students in Indonesia by adapting the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) alongside the theory of domains of knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA total of 518 students at five Indonesian universities participated in an online survey, answering questions about their food waste behaviours based on the TPB and the domains of knowledge frameworks. Among them, 250 students had taken a course that covered the food waste topic, while 268 students had not taken the course. The data were later analysed by using partial least squares-structural equation modelling and measurement invariance across the composite models.FindingsThe findings reveal that environmental awareness, attitude towards food waste behaviours, subjective norms and different types of knowledge which are procedural knowledge, declarative knowledge, personal and social knowledge significantly influence food waste behaviour. Students who attended a course related to the food waste topic were more likely to align their intentions to reduce food waste with their reduction behaviour.Originality/valueWhile previous research has highlighted the importance of the TPB in understanding food waste intentions and behaviour, studies also show that students’ knowledge about food waste plays a crucial role in shaping these intentions. This study builds on these insights by combining the TPB with the domains of knowledge theory, specifically looking at how participating in food waste-related courses influences food waste behaviours among Indonesian students.

An Educational Intervention to Reduce Regulated Medical Waste: The Inpatient Medicine and Outpatient Dermatology Settings.

Improving regulated medical waste (RMW) management is crucial for enhancing planetary health and cost savings. We sought to assess an educational intervention on clinical staff understanding and behavior regarding RMW management. This two-month (2023-2024) controlled, prospective educational intervention at the University of Pennsylvania Health System surveyed healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, and medical assistants, from four inpatient medicine floors and two dermatology clinics. Half of the medicine and dermatology settings were controls. The intervention included in-person staff training sessions and printed materials (posters, bin stickers) describing waste segregation and RMW's environmental, health, and cost impacts. A deidentified online survey pre- and post-intervention measured RMW knowledge and behaviors. The primary outcome was a change in performance on survey questions on proper RMW disposal and RMW's negative externalities. Secondary outcomes were self-reported changes in environmental beliefs and waste stewardship motivators and behaviors, qualitative responses around stewardship barriers, and the impact of clinical role on intervention efficacy. Average baseline inpatient knowledge scores were 6.17 of 9 versus 7.51 for outpatient. The inpatient intervention increased the odds of answering each question correctly by 3-fold (odds ratio: 3.71, 95% CI: 2.218-6.401, p < 0.001). The outpatient clinical role was associated with receptivity to the intervention: the intervention effect was 12.7 times stronger for nursing staff than for physicians (95% CI: 1.86, 263.29, p = 0.024). The intervention improved the overall understanding of RMW's negative environmental impact. An educational intervention can improve understanding of RMW's proper disposal and environmental impact, particularly among nursing staff, and inform future interventions.

Reducing Food Waste Behavior for Sustainable Consumption: The Effect of Food Consumption Values on Food Waste

ABSTRACTWe examined the factors influencing food waste in Korean households. We analyzed data sourced from the Korea Rural Economic Institute using hierarchical regression to assess the impacts of individual‐ and household‐level factors, as well as food consumption values on food waste. Results showed that the main effects of age, metropolis, apartment, monthly food expenditure, frequency of food shopping, change in food expenditure, household size, ethical value, and convenience value were statistically significant. Food waste also increased with an increase in age, metropolis, frequency of food shopping, household size, and convenience value. As ethical values decreased, food waste increased. The influence of household size was relatively the largest, and the interactive effect of household size with functional value and convenience value as moderating variables was statistically significant.

Investigation on co-combustion behavior of domestic waste and sewage sludge using TG-FTIR-Py-GC/MS: Thermal behavior and gaseous pollutants emission

Investigation on co-combustion behavior of domestic waste and sewage sludge using TG-FTIR-Py-GC/MS: Thermal behavior and gaseous pollutants emission

The effects of ‘The Don’t Waste! – Recycle Programme’ on waste management among preschool children: A cluster randomised controlled trial

Objectives: The habit of recycling should be acquired at an early age in order to promote the sustainable use of natural resources. The limited number of studies carried out with early-years children highlights the need for more research with members of this age group. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the ‘Don’t Waste! – Recycle’ Programme on developing waste management awareness in preschool children. Methods: A cluster-randomised experimental study design was used with a pretest-posttest control group and repeated measurements. A total of 164 Turkish preschool children, matched in terms of socioeconomic aspect, were selected to participate in the study by random sampling. The intervention group received the Don’t Waste! – Recycle Programme for 4 weeks, with 30-minute sessions 3 days a week. Data collection took place using a demographic form and a Waste Knowledge and Behaviour Form before the intervention, in the first week, and during the third month after the intervention. Data were also collected simultaneously from a matched control group. Results: The intervention group showed statistically significant improvement in knowledge and behaviour scores in comparison to the control group ( p &lt; .05). Progress was observed to be sustained for 3 months after the intervention with a large (.87–3.83) effect size. Conclusion: The Don’t Waste! – Recycle Programme was found to be efficacious in raising waste management awareness among children. By starting recycling programmes in schools, health professionals and educators can help children build good habits early, which benefits both the environment and the community’s health and well-being.

Food waste under pressure: self-identity, attitudes, overbuying behavior, and consumers’ perceived time pressure

ABSTRACT Examining the elements impacting consumers’ willingness to reduce food waste, this study provides a comprehensive framework covering culturally influenced buying patterns and household food waste behaviors. Data from 362 households embedded in an Arab culture enables to quantify impacts on food waste behavior. Results indicate that time constraints negatively affect consumers’ intention to minimize food waste, while social norms and perceived behavioral control positively correlate with that aim. Additionally, price-conscious consumers demonstrate stronger intentions to minimize waste.

Medical Students' Observations of High Value and Potentially Wasteful Care Behaviors Modeled During Clinical Rotations.

Medical student exposure to role-modeling of high-value care (HVC) behaviors may shape professional identity formation and future HVC practices. To investigate the frequency and characteristics of HVC role-modeling witnessed by medical students during core clinical rotations. Cross-sectional survey study. Medical students on clinical rotations at 11 US medical schools. A validated 13-item survey was used to assess medical student perception of cost-conscious role-modeling behaviors or potentially wasteful role-modeling behaviors and modified to include whom demonstrated the behavior (attending vs resident/fellow) and during which clinical rotation the modeling occurred. Cost-conscious role-modeling behaviors were observed by medical students sometimes/often 52.9-70.5% (353/667-452/641) of the time across all clinical rotations, except for praising a student for ordering a cost-effective diagnostic work-up which was seen only 25.7% (143/556) of the time. Potentially wasteful role-modeling behaviors were observed sometimes/often 5-14.3% (26/537-87/609) of the time, except simultaneously ordering numerous tests before seeing results of initial screening tests 45.1% (273/605) and repeating tests rather than attempting to obtain recently performed test results 32.2% (194/602). HVC modeling was most often demonstrated by internal medicine attendings 67.7% (65/96) and least frequently by general surgery attendings 47.3% (17/36). Attendings were overall more likely to model HVC compared to residents/fellows. HVC role-modeling, as observed by medical students, is not consistently demonstrated across clinical rotations. Attendings generally model more HVC than residents and general surgery models less HVC compared to other specialties. Future studies should strive to identify factors which promote or inhibit HVC modeling.

Sustainable Management of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Waste Through Pyrolysis

Many industries use synthetic rubber for various industrial purposes; thus, disposal of synthetic waste rubber into the environment causes huge environmental problems. A feasibility study to convert synthetic Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) waste into valuable products using batch-type slow pyrolysis will benefit small- to medium-scale industries in their waste handling. The main objective of this research was to find sustainable waste management and energy solutions for synthetic NBR waste using pyrolysis technology. This study employed a two-phase experimental approach where the first five preliminary experiments were conducted to assess the thermal decomposition behavior of NBR waste. In the second phase, three experiments were conducted to quantify the yields of pyrolysis products: pyrolysis oil, solid char, and syngas. The results reveal that the weight distribution of pyrolysis oil, solid char, and syngas was 39.00%, 42.91%, and 18.09%, respectively. Moreover, density, heating value, flash point, and viscosity were analyzed to investigate the quality of the pyrolysis oil, where it was found to be 972.50 kg/m3, 42.50 MJ/kg, 36.50 °C, and 25.44 cP, respectively. Analysis of the syngas composition revealed that carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, oxygen, and CnHm were 14.14%, 5.04%, 18.69%, 11.08%, 0.02%, and 10.00%, respectively. The heating value of syngas was 3873.70 Kcal/m3. The carbon footprint analysis indicated that a significant reduction is possible in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional incineration. Additionally, a cost benefit analysis highlighted the superior cost effectiveness of pyrolysis over incineration of NBR waste. These findings underscore the potential of pyrolysis as an effective tool for sustainable waste management and energy recovery solutions.

Understanding household food waste using a psychographic segmentation: the cautious-engage-creative framework

ABSTRACT Cultural norms, traditions and values shape household food waste behaviours, but this perspective has received little attention. This article investigates household food waste from a cultural perspective and proposes a novel cautious-engage-creative framework based on diverse cultural community values. We conducted 18 focus groups with 151 respondents. Seven culturally focused food behaviour profiles were identified, including two segments reported by previous research: health-conscious consumers and time-poor consumers. Some of our findings echo the existing literature confirming the link between household size, a lack of cooking skills, convenience-seeking behaviour and food waste. We contribute by presenting five additional segments, specifically comfort eaters, family meal organisers, feasters, novices and snack junkies. We suggest targeted interventions under the cautious-engage-creative framework based on dominant behaviour characteristics within a segment. The findings suggest that the ‘cautious’ approach involves never shopping hungry, using food lists and boxes, considering hybrid meal plans for guests and experimenting with small packs of new foods. The ‘engage’ strategy focuses on learning food management skills and engaging children in food-related discussions. The ‘creative’ approach involves making healthy meals, including strategies to manage cravings, buying bulk and freezing food. Practical suggestions outlined within the framework present actionable steps for reducing food waste.

Development of the Attitude Scale for Wasteful Behaviors Towards Nurses and Examination of Its Psychometric Properties

Objective: This study aims to develop the "Nurses’ Wasteful Behaviors Attitude Scale" as a new measurement tool to evaluate the attitudes of nurses’ wasteful behaviors. Methods: In the final phase of this three-phase study, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to create a new item pool of 52 items to minimize potential biases in the scale items and to communicate effectively with nursing professionals. Following the content validity results, a 50-item scale draft was obtained. Data were obtained online from 500 nurses between February and September 2023. Results: The content validity index of the scale stands at 0.96. Following the exploratory factor analysis, it was determined that the scale comprises 30 items distributed across five sub-dimensions, which collectively account for 58.17% of the total variance. Moreover, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient yielded a value of .93. Conclusion: The scale has high internal consistency, time invariance, and high fit indices. This scale can help take initiatives to prevent wasteful behaviors in the hospitals and ensure sustainability.

Machine Learning Modeling of Anchovy Waste Treatment Using Solar Drying

ABSTRACTThis study aims to valorize coproducts from the anchovy processing chain by obtaining compounds of interest through the implementation of environmentally friendly and energy‐efficient techniques. These methods, which also apply to other fresh anchovy waste coproducts, seek to minimize the environmental pollution associated with conventional systems. The investigation focused on the application of solar drying as a treatment of anchovy waste. The resulting data were employed to model the drying behavior of anchovy waste using five machine learning algorithms. A thermokinetic study was conducted under both natural and forced convection solar drying to establish the optimal conditions for drying and storing anchovy heads, which are a significant source of high‐quality proteins for human and animal nutrition. Drying kinetics were examined at three temperatures (60°C, 70°C, and 90°C) and two airflow rates (150 and 300 m3/h). The study identified air drying temperature as the most critical factor affecting the drying kinetics of anchovy wastes. Machine learning modeling of anchovy waste solar drying was conducted, and evaluated models were RNN, LSTM, GRU, LightGBM, and CatBoost. CatBoost demonstrated superior performance in predicting moisture content. It achieved the lowest Mean Squared Error of 1.1491e − 06, the lowest Mean Absolute Error of 0.0006265, and the highest coefficient of determination (R2) of 99.99%. The comparative analysis highlighted distinct differences in the predictive accuracy of the models, with CatBoost emerging as the most effective.

The role of waste pickers in individual waste separation behavior

This study examines the role of waste pickers in individual waste separation behavior. Given the environmental and economic importance of waste separation, this behavior has been extensively studied, but the influence of waste pickers—who perform waste separation as a livelihood, potentially substituting for the voluntary efforts expected from individuals—has been overlooked. Using stratified random sampling in İzmir, Turkey, we collected data from 670 individuals to test our hypotheses via the factor score regression method. The results validated our hypothesis that individuals with positive attitudes toward waste pickers intend to help them by separating and providing recyclable materials. However, we could not validate our hypotheses that positive individual attitudes toward waste pickers decrease individuals’ sense of responsibility for separating waste, which consequently weakens the impacts of commonly studied factors (e.g., personal attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control effectiveness) on individual waste separation behavior. Our post-analysis revealed that a positive attitude toward waste pickers leads to greater individual responsibility through the intention to help, which then weakens the effects of personal attitude and perceived behavioral control on waste separation intention and behavior. By considering the role of waste pickers, our study advances the understanding of individual waste separation behavior in contexts where informal recycling activities are prevalent. Our findings have important implications for policymakers seeking to optimize waste management systems by leveraging the contributions of waste pickers.

Motivation or Inconvenience—What matters most? Understanding recycling behavior of healthcare waste

Recycling programs are widely used to address global environmental challenges, with the active participation of end users being crucial for the successful return of products at the end of use. However, individuals have different motivations for recycling and face various obstacles in doing so. We lack an understanding of these motivations and the inconveniences of engaging in this behavior, especially within the healthcare industry. By drawing insights from the take-back program ReturpenTM, which was introduced in Denmark and the UK, this study addresses how different types of motivation influence end-user participation in take-back programs and the extent to which motivation offsets the inconveniences. The results showed that individuals' underlying motivations vary, with altruism emerging as the primary motivator, followed by social norms, while direct personal benefits play a relatively minor role. While 92% of respondents indicated their intention to engage in the take-back program, the actual return rate in the Danish program was approximately 22%, which points to a clear intention-behavior gap.

Beyond the Bin: The Influence of Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability on Food Waste Behavior in Households

ABSTRACTThis study examined household food waste behavior building upon a framework that integrates the motivation‐opportunity‐ability model (MOA), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and norm activation model (NAM) enriched with insights from social practices theory (SPT). Using a dual‐country sample (Germany and South Africa), an online survey (n = 1065) measured how motivation, opportunity, and ability drive self‐reported food waste behavior. The results show that the ability to reduce food waste, that is, habits and perceived and actual knowledge, unfold a strong influence on reported food waste behavior. Quite surprisingly, motivation to engage in food waste reduction, due to attitude, values, and ascription of responsibility, has the lowest impact on reported food waste behavior. Our findings enhance the current understanding of food waste drivers and highlight the significance of socio‐psychological determinants of behavior, specifically ability and habits. The implications for both research and practical applications are discussed.

How to Reduce Food-Wasting Behavior: an Effort to Control Climate Change Using Behavioral Models Approach

Objective: Food wastage predominantly transpires at the consumer level within the food supply chain, leading to food-wasting behavior, where edible food is ultimately disposed of as refuse. This phenomenon of food-discarding behavior is also observed in developing nations, including Indonesia. This study aims to compare three behavioral models in mitigating food-discarding behavior, namely the theory of planned behavior, the norm activation model, and the value-belief-norm theory. Theoretical Framework: This study involves 9 behavioral constructs from the theory of planned behavior, the Norm Activation Model, and the Value-Belief-Norm theory to mitigate food-wasting behavior. Method: The research participants were drawn from Makassar City, Indonesia, comprising a total of 1715 respondents, with data collected using a Likert-scale behavioral assessment. Subsequent analysis was conducted employing PLS-SEM. Results and Discussion: This study's key findings are as follows: First, the hypotheses regarding the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior, Norm Activation Model, and Value-Belief-Norm theory as behavioral frameworks for mitigating food waste were supported. Second, in the TPB model, perceived behavioral control had a more direct impact on reducing food waste than behavioral intention, while attitude had the strongest influence on intention. Intention also mediated the relationship between attitude and food waste behavior. Third, in the NAM, ascription of responsibility had the greatest direct effect on personal norms, and personal norms mediated the impacts of all predictors, with the strongest mediation occurring between ascription of responsibility and decreased food waste. Fourth, the VBN model demonstrated that ascription of responsibility had the highest direct influence on personal norms, and values and could reduce food waste through the mediation of other constructs in the model. Research Implications: to effectively mitigate food-wasting behavior among individuals, intervention programs must be implemented to enhance attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, subjective norms, and values. Originality/Value: The results of this study have shown direct comparative results between TPB, NAM, and VBN, and the uniqueness of each behavioral model in reducing food-wasting behavior, especially in developing countries.

Multivariate simulation using a locally varying coregionalization model

Understanding the response of materials in downstream processes of mining operations relies heavily on proper multivariate spatial modeling of relevant properties of such materials. Ore recovery and the behavior of tailings and waste are examples where capturing the mineralogical composition is a key component: in the first case, to ensure reliable revenues, and in the second one, to avoid environmental risks involved in their disposal. However, multivariate spatial modeling can be difficult when variables exhibit intricate relationships, such as non-linear correlation, heteroscedastic behavior, or spatial trends. This work demonstrates that the complex multivariate behavior among variables can be reproduced by disaggregating the global non-linear behavior through the spatial domain and looking instead at the local correlations between Gaussianized variables. Local linear dependencies are first inferred from a local neighborhood and then interpolated through the domain using Riemannian geometry tools that allow us to handle correlation matrices and their spatial interpolation. By employing a non-stationary modification of the linear model of coregionalization, it is possible to independently simulate variables and then combine them as a linear mixture that locally varies according to the inferred correlation, reproducing the global multivariate behavior seen on input variables. A real case study is presented, showing the reproduction of the reference multivariate distributions, as well as direct and cross semi-variograms.

Household food waste reduction and leftover reuse intention: interplay of personal norms and mediating variables

ABSTRACT The literature on food waste reduction has often overlooked the complexities of household waste reduction and reuse behaviors. This study takes a novel approach by applying the norm activation model to explore households’ food waste behavior. A total of 214 responses were collected from various regions of India to ensure a diverse sample. Using a structured questionnaire based on the norm activation model, the relationships between the sense of community, the consequence of awareness, and food waste behaviors were examined. The results obtained highlighted the role of a sense of community and the consequence of awareness as significant antecedents of leftover food reuse (FR) intention and food waste reduction behavior. PLS-SEM mediation analysis revealed that reduction intention mediates the relationship between food waste antecedents and outcomes, while planning routines mediate between antecedents and reduction behavior. These findings highlight the utility of our model in predicting food waste reduction and reuse behaviors, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for household food waste strategies. Practically, the findings support the development of an app with gamified features to promote sustainable food management.

Characterization of Long‐Term Municipal Solid Waste Constitutive Behavior With Coupled Biodegradation and Fibrous Reinforcing Effects

ABSTRACTTo appropriately simulate the long‐term mechanical behavior of municipal solid waste (MSW), a constitutive model coupling the effects of biodegradation and fibrous reinforcement was developed. In the proposed model, the compressive deformation due to biodegradation was regarded as being caused by an additional equivalent stress. Considering the effect of biodegradation, an evolution equation of the equivalent stress was proposed, and a plastic volumetric strain hardening law was developed. A fibrous reinforcement parameter was introduced, which was associated with the fiber content, stress state, and plastic shear strain of MSW. A plastic shear strain hardening law was developed to model the fibrous reinforcement. Based on the associated flow rule and two plastic strain hardening laws, the proposed model was established. The proposed model well simulated the hardening properties of MSW, as evidenced by the stress‒strain curves and the consistent, nonlinear increase in volumetric strain with axial strain. The differences in the shear strength and volumetric deformation due to the confining stress and fiber content were also well simulated by the model. Furthermore, the model predictions accurately reflected the findings of experiments conducted over a period of 10 years. Finally, parametric investigations were used to calibrate this proposed model, which can well characterize the long‐term MSW mechanical behavior.

Investigating household food waste in Indonesia: An extended norm activation model

Consumers waste significant amounts of food. Food waste presents a substantial problem for the environment, society and economy. Addressing the food waste challenge is crucial for fostering sustainable behavior and achieving the Sustainability Development Goal 12.3 agenda. Norms are a significant determinant in motivating consumers to prevent food waste and could be activated by other factors. Religiosity has the potential to influence norms related to food waste behavior. This study investigated how religiosity affects the intentions of consumers to minimize food waste. The interplay of religiosity, personal norms, subjective norms, and intention to avoid food waste was examined by the extended norm activation model. Data were obtained from Muslim consumers in Indonesia. Structural equation modeling evaluation showed that religiosity positively affects the intention to prevent food waste. The intention to avoid food waste is more closely associated with personal norms compared to subjective norms. Personal norms mediate the religiosity and food waste reduction intention relationship. Consumer awareness activates personal norms by making them feel accountable for food waste’s negative impact. These findings provide insights to stakeholders in developing policies to mitigate the food waste issue.

How to improve the consistency of consumers’ food waste reduction intentions and behaviors? An analysis based on the expanded Motivation–Opportunity–Ability framework

The increasingly serious problem of food waste in China has become an important bottleneck constraining sustainable development, posing a great challenge to food security, resource and the environment. Therefore, it is urgent to reduce food waste. However, the inconsistency between consumers’ intention to reduce food waste and their behavior weakens the effectiveness of anti-food waste efforts to some extent. Based on the extended MOA model, this study examines consumers’ intention-behavior gap in reducing food waste and explores the moderating effects of opportunity, ability and face consciousness on the conversion of food waste reduction intention into actual behavior in the context of China. In addition, we further categorize consumers into high and low face consciousness groups to explore the differences in the moderating effects of opportunity and ability. The results show that there is indeed a gap between consumers’ food waste reduction intention and behavior. In terms of the moderating effects, the factors of external environment, emotional information, and ability have a significant positive moderating effect on the conversion of food waste reduction intention into actual behavior, while rational information has no significant moderating effect. Notably, face consciousness plays a significant negative moderating effect. For the high face consciousness group, only emotional information has a significant positive moderating effect; while for the low face consciousness group, external environment, emotional information, and ability have a significant positive moderating effect. What’s more, rational information has a non-significant moderating effect on both the high and low face consciousness groups.