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Dumpstring; problem eller lösning? En kvantitativ undersökning av dumpstring ur ett klimat- och resursperspektiv

Casey, Ellen LU (2022) MVEK02 20212
Studies in Environmental Science
Abstract
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that up to 17% of the world's produced food goes to waste (UNEP, 2021). In Sweden alone, a total of 1,3 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2018, and 20-25% of the country's total carbon footprint was derived from food waste (Andersson & Stålhandske, 2018). Dumpster diving refers to the act of 'diving' into bins and containers for items that have been unnecessarily discarded (Jakobsson, 2015; Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). Although it takes place in many western urban environments (Vinegar et al., 2016), its impact is largely unaccounted for in both research and statistics.
This study aims at investigating dumpster diving in a food waste context. The primary focus is on quantifying how... (More)
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that up to 17% of the world's produced food goes to waste (UNEP, 2021). In Sweden alone, a total of 1,3 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2018, and 20-25% of the country's total carbon footprint was derived from food waste (Andersson & Stålhandske, 2018). Dumpster diving refers to the act of 'diving' into bins and containers for items that have been unnecessarily discarded (Jakobsson, 2015; Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). Although it takes place in many western urban environments (Vinegar et al., 2016), its impact is largely unaccounted for in both research and statistics.
This study aims at investigating dumpster diving in a food waste context. The primary focus is on quantifying how much food dumpster-divers can find and to what extent different eating habits can contribute to reducing one’s climate impact from food waste.
The results shows that a small group of six dumpster-divers over a one-month period saved enough food to compensate for both their own and eleven other people's food waste. Due to the high environmental footprints of meat and animal products, those who also dumpster meat and dairy tend to reach comparably higher climate and resource benefits from dumpster diving than those who don’t. Finally, the study also discusses the legal and cultural aspects of dumpster diving, and whether it could be used as tool to decrease food waste in Sweden. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
FN:s miljöprogram (UNEP) uppskattar att upp till 17 procent av världens producerade livsmedel går till spillo (UNEP, 2021). Enbart i Sverige genererades totalt 1,3 miljoner ton matavfall under 2018, och att 20-25 % av landets totala koldioxidavtryck härrörde från matavfall (Andersson & Stålhandske, 2018). Dumpstring avser handlingen att "dyka" i soptunnor och containrar efter föremål som har kastats i onödan (Jakobsson, 2015; Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). Även om det sker i många västerländska stadsmiljöer (Vinegar et al., 2016) är dess konsekvenser i stort sett oredovisade i både forskning och statistik.
Den här studien syftar till att undersöka dumpstring i ett matavfallskontext. Det primära fokuset ligger på att kvantifiera hur mycket mat... (More)
FN:s miljöprogram (UNEP) uppskattar att upp till 17 procent av världens producerade livsmedel går till spillo (UNEP, 2021). Enbart i Sverige genererades totalt 1,3 miljoner ton matavfall under 2018, och att 20-25 % av landets totala koldioxidavtryck härrörde från matavfall (Andersson & Stålhandske, 2018). Dumpstring avser handlingen att "dyka" i soptunnor och containrar efter föremål som har kastats i onödan (Jakobsson, 2015; Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). Även om det sker i många västerländska stadsmiljöer (Vinegar et al., 2016) är dess konsekvenser i stort sett oredovisade i både forskning och statistik.
Den här studien syftar till att undersöka dumpstring i ett matavfallskontext. Det primära fokuset ligger på att kvantifiera hur mycket mat dumpstrare kan hitta och i vilken utsträckning olika matvanor kan bidra till att minska ens klimatpåverkan från matavfall.

Resultaten visar att en liten grupp på sex dumpstrare under en månads tid sparade tillräckligt med mat för att kompensera både sitt eget och elva andra personers matavfall. På grund av köttets och animaliska produkters stora miljöavtryck tenderar de som också dumpstrar kött och mejeriprodukter att nå jämförelsevis högre klimat- och resursfördelar från dumpstrande än de som inte gör det. Slutligen diskuterar studien också de juridiska och kulturella aspekterna av dumpstring, och huruvida det skulle kunna användas som ett verktyg för att minska matsvinn i Sverige. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Casey, Ellen LU
supervisor
organization
course
MVEK02 20212
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
dumpstring, matsvinn, resurshantering, livsmedel, klimat, food waste, dumpster diving, climate
language
Swedish
id
9074677
date added to LUP
2022-02-11 16:13:38
date last changed
2022-02-11 16:13:38
@misc{9074677,
  abstract     = {{The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that up to 17% of the world's produced food goes to waste (UNEP, 2021). In Sweden alone, a total of 1,3 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2018, and 20-25% of the country's total carbon footprint was derived from food waste (Andersson & Stålhandske, 2018). Dumpster diving refers to the act of 'diving' into bins and containers for items that have been unnecessarily discarded (Jakobsson, 2015; Rombach & Bitsch, 2015). Although it takes place in many western urban environments (Vinegar et al., 2016), its impact is largely unaccounted for in both research and statistics.
This study aims at investigating dumpster diving in a food waste context. The primary focus is on quantifying how much food dumpster-divers can find and to what extent different eating habits can contribute to reducing one’s climate impact from food waste.
The results shows that a small group of six dumpster-divers over a one-month period saved enough food to compensate for both their own and eleven other people's food waste. Due to the high environmental footprints of meat and animal products, those who also dumpster meat and dairy tend to reach comparably higher climate and resource benefits from dumpster diving than those who don’t. Finally, the study also discusses the legal and cultural aspects of dumpster diving, and whether it could be used as tool to decrease food waste in Sweden.}},
  author       = {{Casey, Ellen}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Dumpstring; problem eller lösning? En kvantitativ undersökning av dumpstring ur ett klimat- och resursperspektiv}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}