Improved knowledge on food waste sorting rules will lead to an improvement in the quality of sorting, but also to quantity by increasing the number and type of food waste that is actually sorted and correctly disposed of. This is a key result of a study commissioned by Brussels Environment in the framework of the Citizen Waste project to understand food waste sorting performances of household in vertical housing in the Brussels-Capital region. In addition, the survey recommends targeting young people more specifically, tenants and people living in multi-unit buildings. These sub-groups are less aware of the obligation to sort and of the instructions and practices for sorting food waste.
"Citizen Waste" is an action-research project, conducted jointly by COMASE and ULB (CEESE) from 2020 to 2023 on behalf of Brussels Environment to objectivise and gain a better understanding of the waste sorting performance of households in Brussels, identify areas for improvement, and lead a multi-stakeholder group. It included three phases:
Phase 1 (2020-2021): Understanding factors influencing sorting performances
Phase 2 (2022): Pilot projects in social housing (vertical housing)
Phase 3 (2023): Dissemination of results and focus on the implementation of food waste sorting in vertical housing