Aware that raising awareness alone has a limited impact on changing behaviour, Brussels Environment commissioned BEHAVEN, a consultancy specialising in behavioural sciences, to carry out a study to gain a better understanding of the barriers to food waste sorting behaviour and to formulate a list of behavioural solutions that could reduce the barriers identified and encourage households to sort their food waste.
The main barriers to food waste sorting behaviour identified in the study are:
- Individual barriers: not knowing how to sort, not knowing the benefits of sorting, perceiving sorting as an inconvenience (hygiene, discomfort), having automatisms and biases that limit sorting (laziness, disgust, yuck factor, etc.), etc.
- Contextual barriers: lack of space and appropriate equipment for sorting, lack of appropriate services (collections, timetables, etc.)
- Social barriers: thinking that others don't make the effort, family composition that limits sorting, etc.
Based on that, the study puts forward five priorities to reduce the barriers identified and encourage households to sort their food waste in Brussels:
- Increase the infrastructure available;
- Introduce financial incentives;
- Simplify the rules;
- Standardising communications;
- Involve local relays.