A comprehensive approach to the feasibility assessment of on‐campus food waste composting

Al‐Aomar, Raid; Haroun, Aya; Osman, Ahmed

doi:10.1002/ieam.4529

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…These composting practices could be assessed by considering variables such as supplier selection, after‐sale support, composting method performance (Al-Aomar et al, 2022 ), and compost/vermicompost quality.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward food waste reduction at universities

Filho

Ribeiro

Setti

et al. 2023

Environ Dev Sustain

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Food waste is a serious problem, which undermines the achievement of many sustainable development goals (SDGs), despite their consideration in the agendas of many countries and companies. Notoriously, food waste (FW) causes different kinds of pollution that affect public health and social justice, while contributing to economic losses. This waste phenomenon has causes, drivers, and impacts that require rigorous assessments and effective approaches to mitigate its noxious effects, which are a serious concern for universities. Within these institutions, reducing food waste becomes a circular economy strategy, which is being utilized to assist in promoting sustainable development. However, there is a need for urgent attention to the specific causes of food waste and for consistent actions to reduce it, while boosting awareness in the campus community and triggering a change in students’ eating habits. The purpose of this study is to analyze what can be done to reduce the levels of food waste at universities. To achieve this, a review of the theme’s state of the art, which is inclusive of an overview of food waste production at universities around the world, is presented. The study employed a qualitative methodology where a comprehensive review of the literature and case studies analyses from selected world regions were considered. The data indicate that a broad variance exists in producing food waste among universities, from 0.12 to 50 kg/capita/day. More factors influence the problem (e.g., gender, age, season, consumer behavior), as well as strategies to solve and prevent it (e.g., composting, recycling, new designs of packages, trayless meals, education), and benefits leading toward food waste reductions from 13 to 50%. Also, four priority actions were identified to reduce food waste at universities, and these consist of planning and awareness, food preparation and storage, services, and direct waste reuse. With appropriate adaptations, these recommended actions should be deployed as means for reducing food waste at universities around the world, while expanding learning and education in sustainability.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward food waste reduction at universities

Filho

Ribeiro

Setti

et al. 2023

Environ Dev Sustain

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“…Alternative strategies have been developing at the university campuses to recover FW, in order to close nutrient‐ and carbon‐loops which converts FW into value‐added products such as organic fertilizers and energy. These strategies seek to replace centralized waste management facilities such as landfills and incineration 6–8 . A sustainable FW management model goes further than emissions by designing circular flows of resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…to replace centralized waste management facilities such as landfills and incineration. [6][7][8] A sustainable FW management model goes further than emissions by designing circular flows of resources. There will also be adverse effects due to the array of land guidance for biomass production, including further greenhouse gas emissions due to indirect land use restrictions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Decarbonizing university campuses: A business model for food waste management at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Ayazağa Campus, Turkey

Maçin,

Arıkan,

Altınbaş

et al. 2023

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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Food waste is a significant environmental issue today, as it contributes to depleting natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions from improper management. To address this, alternative food waste management and recovery strategies must be developed to promote nutrient recirculation and move towards decarbonization. University campuses could play a crucial role in pioneering such strategies, through pilot studies and implementation of effective waste management. The aim of this study is to devise a food waste management strategy that provides a more circular and decarbonized economy. A case example was developed based on ITU Ayazağa Campus, Turkey, with annual separated food waste of 577 tonne per year. A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted using the EASETECH software. Four scenarios were evaluated: anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, and landfill. Of these, incineration resulted in the highest CO2‐eq savings, but lacked decoupling and circularity of resources. Conversely, anaerobic digestion demonstrated the highest circularity and lowest toxicity. Based on these findings, anaerobic digestion was selected for further investigation. Economic transactions for the anaerobic digestion system's business models were analyzed, including revenues, municipality fees, and operating costs. The new economic model is expected to align with circular economy strategies and promote stakeholder collaboration as a significant social outcome.

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