Socio-demographic effects on household waste and prevention in the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality

Abstract

Food waste is a growing global concern as it has major economic, social and environmental impacts. This paper reports on findings of a research study conducted in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa.The research was conducted as part of a larger project with the aim to compile household food waste data in a South African context. The research was conducted using structured questionnaires to assess the influence of socio-demographics on the amount of food waste generated in the households and ways to prevent food wastage. Forty three percent of the sampled students and young professionals aged 21 – 30 years old wasted less food compared to older people over the age of 61 – 70 years. Although the statistical significant difference with a probability show that there was no differences between age groups shown with a P-value of 0.0043. This was an interesting target group that has different values towards food than older generations. Food waste reduction is very complex since it is a multidimensional problem which needs more awareness on food waste and better food management that will result in people changing their habits.