CAFÉ WASTE
Economics
Economics is the study of human behavior and allocation of scarce resources. Understanding the economics of recycling and campus sustainability allows cafeteria stock holders, their customers, and the waste and recycling management companies who make waste removal possible at U of M make informed decisions about their business and sustainability models.
Just
Just, D.r., Mancino, L., and Wansink, B. (2007). Could behavioral economics help improve diet quality of nutrition assistance program participants? Economic Research Report Number 43. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economics Research Service.
Results: 78% reduction in food waste after BioBin installation.
Relevance to our question: Despite the initial infrastructure investment, including the BioBin and a catwalk to both protect the biofilter and accommodate loading from the dock, this investment paid off in the end seeing as tip fees at the Wümington facility meant a per-ton savings of nearly $30 over hauling to the local landfill. These findings imply that a similar implementation of a compost system in university cafe's will not only help alleviate the problem of waste, but also save the cafe money.
