Household waste prevention – a review of evidence
Abstract
This paper reports a synthesis of policy-relevant evidence on household waste prevention, based on a UK portfolio of primary research and a broad international review. Waste prevention was defined as strict avoidance, reduction at source (e.g. home composting) and reuse (for the product's original purpose) - recycling was excluded. A major focus was on consumers. Waste prevention is not one but many behaviours; the review revealed a general hierarchy in their popularity, from donating goods to charity at the top; through small reuse behaviours around the home; to activities involving changes in consumption habits at the bottom; one estimate is that 60% of the public does at least one of these activities, some of the time. Barriers to engaging householders include both modern consumer culture and a genuine confusion that waste prevention is equivalent to recycling. The public can be engaged through local or national campaigns, with a wide range of interventions and communications approaches available. On the products and services side, the primary opportunity within the scope of the review was identified as increasing reuse. The barriers included operational difficulties (funding, capacity, logistics) and consumer attitudes towards second-hand goods. The main opportunities are to ensure more strategic planning for reuse by local authorities and better co-ordination and joint working with the third sector. The review examined the impact or potential of various policy measures designed to influence household behaviour directly or the products and services provided to them. Overall, the international evidence suggests that waste prevention benefits will be derived from a 'package' of measures, including, for example, prevention targets, producer responsibility, householder charging, funding for pilot projects, collaboration between the public, private and third sectors, and public intervention campaigns. UK evidence suggests that the greatest tonnage diversions can be achieved on food waste, home composting and bulky waste. The principal evidence gaps relate to robust and comprehensive quantitative data. Better evidence is needed of what actually works, and what outcomes (weight, carbon and costs) can be expected from different measures. More sensitive and effective monitoring and evaluation is needed to provide the evidence required to develop the necessary basket of future policy measures at local and national level.
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It is necessary to address multiple prevention mechanisms simultaneously because prevention is not created by one, but by many behaviors.
“It is necessary to address multiple prevention mechanisms simultaneously because prevention is not created by one, but by many behaviors (Cox et al. 2010).”
From Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development (2016) · cites this paper as Cox et al. 2010
It is unclear which combination of mechanisms to prevent food waste is most effective because evaluations of food waste prevention policies are scarce.
“It is unclear which combination of mechanisms to prevent food waste is most effective 632 because evaluations of food waste prevention policies are scarce.”
From Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development (2016) · cites this paper as Cox et al. 2010
It is difficult to demonstrate a consistent, direct link between specific policy mechanisms and measured waste prevention results.
“Moreover, it is difficult to demonstrate a 635 consistent, direct link between specific policy mechanisms and measured waste prevention 636 results (Cox et al. 2010).”
From Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development (2016) · cites this paper as Cox et al. 2010
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Cox, J., Giorgi, S., Sharp, V., Strange, K., Wilson, D. C., & Blakey, N.
- Affiliations
- Brook Lyndhurst (United Kingdom) (GB)
- The Social Marketing Practice, Didcot, UK
- Resource Recovery Forum, Skipton, UK
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Cox, Jayne
- Venue
- Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-03
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 193-219
- ISSN
- 0734-242X (ISSN-L)
- 1096-3669
- OpenAlex
- W2333550949
- Cited by
- 188
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 16.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Municipal Solid Waste Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental Education and Sustainability
- Keywords
- reuse, home composting, food waste, bulky waste, consumer behavior, barriers to reuse, second-hand goods, consumerism, extended producer responsibility, prevention targets, local government, public campaigns, waste diversion, monitoring and evaluation
- MeSH terms
- Family Characteristics, United Kingdom, Waste Management
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