Stakeholder opinion of organic waste in the Maltese islands : Birkirkara and Swieqi

Abstract

Up to a third of all global food is wasted before it can be consumed (FAO, 2012). Additionally, about half of household food is sent to waste, which means almost 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted worldwide (FAO, 2012). Contrarily, more than 795 million people, worldwide, are still undernourished (FAO, 2015). In October 2015, Wasteserv Malta introduced a separation and collection of organic waste initiative in selected localities to improve organic waste management on the islands (Wasteserv, n.d.a). The aim of this research was to explore Maltese organic waste management with a special focus on food waste, to study residents’ awareness of, knowledge and participation in organic waste disposal. Both semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were conducted. Interviews were undertaken with representatives from Birkirkara and Swieqi local councils, and from Wasteserv. A total of 196 respondents completed the questionnaires by means of a door-to-door distribution. Results showed that the majority of respondents participate in organic waste disposal; 155 respondents (doers), while only 41 of respondents do not (nondoers). The usual type of information communication for both groups was through the distribution of leaflets. Fruit and vegetable peels are the main discarded food type in households, particularly households consisting over five members. The most common method used to reduce food waste is by storing food in the right place, while the least is buying fruit/vegetables lacking aesthetic appeal. It is suggested that to reduce the amount of food that is currently being wasted, more effort is needed, such as: educative campaigns through social media, TV and radio programmes, as well as incentives and waste enforcement.