Uncovering residents and restaurants' attitude and willingness toward effective food waste management: A case study of Macau.

ABSTRACT

Food waste has attracted wide attention around the world. A better understanding of food waste generation and consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for effective food waste management is important for addressing growing food waste challenges, but this is still largely missing in the literature, especially for developing countries and cities in Asia. In this study, we conducted field interviews and questionnaire surveys, with effective samples of 463 residents and 18 restaurants in Macau. Our results show that over 80% of respondents think food waste in Macau is serious. "Food exceeded expiration date (28.2%)" and "Ordering too much food (39.5%)" are the two main reasons for throwing away food at home and when eating out, respectively. Vegetables and fruits (22.4%) are the most common type of food wasted at home, followed by snacks (17.3%), in Macau. About 70% of respondents agreed to pay for separate food waste collection and treatment facilities, and the WTP value per household in Macau is 42.5 MOP (Macau Pataca)/month. Respondents' income level was positively and significantly correlated with their WTP, while age and educational level had negative effects on the WTP, under the 5% significance level. Some respondents' perceptions and attitudes on food waste also significantly affected their WTP, according to our analysis. Because of the lack of effective management measures and collection facilities, about 72% of surveyed restaurants mixed their food waste into municipal solid waste (MSW). More information sharing, education and promotion should be done to raise environmental protection awareness and improve the food waste treatment system.