One of the biggest deterrents to wasting food is getting people to think about what else those wasted dollars could be spent on, according to a Western-led report.
“In terms of changing personal behaviour, having to open up your wallet every week and realizing you have to pull less money out for groceries is a key motivator,” explained Paul van der Werf, an adjunct Geography professor and environmental consultant in Western’s Human Environments Analysis Laboratory (HEAL Lab).
The study, ‘Reduce Food Waste, Save Money’: Testing a Novel Intervention to Reduce Household Food Waste, was recently published in the journal Environment & Behaviour.
For the study, researchers compared the waste habits of two groups of Londoners: 1. A control group who went about their normal habits; and 2. Another group who received a small kit and emails repeating the simple message, “Reduce Food Waste: Save Money.”
Researchers also provided households with fridge magnets, grocery-list pads, freezer labels and emails with the same message. The result of the reminders was a 30 per cent drop in avoidable food waste sent to the curb.
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