The data are unique because a similarly extensive survey has no analogues in the Czech Republic or abroad. The main goal of the project is to find ways to influence consumers to reduce the amount of wasted food in the future. The statistics found will probably surprise many, because the people of Brno themselves have so far estimated in the questionnaires that they throw away only 4 kilograms of food a year.
Experts from Mendel University in Brno have been measuring the actual amount of food thrown into municipal waste in selected city districts in Brno since last spring. In each season, they analyzed municipal waste from ordinary “black” bins from a total of 900 households in Brno – 300 households from housing estates, 300 from residential areas, and 300 rural households were evenly represented.
“Now we are finally able to describe the behavior of the Brno household regardless of seasonal and other fluctuations. We have very interesting data on the content of “black bins” – we know what percentage of the waste is combustible and non-combustible, what is in paper and plastic or textile bins, but the main attention is paid to data on biological waste, which was analyzed in great detail, sorted and weighed – the focus was of course on food,” said project leader Lea Kubíčková from the Faculty of Business and Economics at MENDELU.
People most often throw in fruit and vegetables, pastries and their leftovers, packaged food, including packaging of both plant and animal origin. In summer and autumn, people waste more food than in spring and winter. The composition of food in garbage cans changes slightly in individual seasons, but fruits, vegetables, pastries, and their remnants are most often thrown away by people in every season. For example, in the summer, packaged foods predominate over unwrapped foods. Statistics are also important on what percentage of discarded waste could be composted. According to experts, biological waste accounts for 48.81 percent a year.
Within the EU, there is no accurate data on the amount of food wasted in households, and figures are not available worldwide. Published information is often only an estimate that is not based on an actual measurement of household waste. That is why the experts from FBE MENDELU started their research several years ago.
However, the project, for which the research team obtains money from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, does not only aim to find out how much food is wasted in households. After finding these data, the researchers will experiment with selected localities and will try to change the behavior of households and make residents waste less using various intervention modes.
The effects of this experiment will be measured and compared with data already obtained to demonstrate whether there are any ways in which the population’s food waste behavior can be changed and how significantly these interventions can have a difference in human behavior. “The project is unique in this respect, as a similar experiment has not yet been carried out to such an extent not only in the Czech Republic but probably not elsewhere in the world,” Kubíčková added.
Contact for more information: doc. Ing. Lea Kubíčková, Ph.D., tel .: 739 348 950, Head of the Department of Marketing and Trade, FBE
More news
-
Urban lawns, but also grasslands in the open countryside, are being negatively affected by climate change. This brings with it heat and drought, which not only causes grasslands to dry out, but also changes their composition and decreases their…3. 7. 2025
-
Healthy energy shots won the second year of the MENDELU Boost student…
The winner of the second year of the MENDELU Boost student business ideas competition was healthy energy drinks. The second place went to car accessories made from a 3D printer with a special coating, while the third place went to drones made from…23. 6. 2025 -
MENDELU opens renovated building of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
After approximately two years, Mendel University in Brno is reopening Building D, which has undergone a complete reconstruction. The building, which houses the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is now named the Professor Adam Pavilion, after…20. 6. 2025 -
MENDELU to lead international project supporting innovation in precision…
Mendel University in Brno has been awarded a prestigious grant from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to implement an international project focused on fostering innovation in the field of precision medicine, titled…12. 6. 2025 -
International scientific team focuses on the impacts of Mediterranean cyclones
The Mediterranean basin is often subject to strong weather events caused by Mediterranean cyclones (medcyclones). These weather phenomena, which are sometimes comparable in intensity and impact to hurricanes, affect the weather in the region and are…5. 6. 2025 -
Five Female Wolves Fitted with GPS Collars in the Beskydy and Javorníky…
Researchers from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno have successfully captured and fitted GPS telemetry collars on five female wolves in the Beskydy and Javorníky Mountains over the past two years. These collars…28. 5. 2025 -
MENDELU research team explores alternative ways of growing malting barley
The scientific team of the Faculty of AgriSciences at MENDELU in cooperation with Plzeňský Prazdroj, the agricultural company JTZE a.s. and the Czech University of Agriculture is investigating alternative methods of growing malting barley in the…15. 5. 2025 -
MENDELU expands preventive measures against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease
The Mendel University in Brno is taking additional preventive measures against the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) infection from Hungary and Slovakia. This is in response to new regulations of the State Veterinary Administration on…8. 4. 2025 -
Student Design 2025: the Upholstery Craft Award goes to MENDELU
The Student Design 2025 competition, held at the Mobitex fair at the Brno Exhibition Centre, awarded the works of students from secondary schools and universities from the Czech and Slovak Republics. The Upholstery Craftsmanship Award went to…2. 4. 2025 -
WATERLINE Hosts Successful International Academic-to-Business Meetings:…
The WATERLINE project, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionizing advanced water skills and digital innovation in the water sector, successfully hosted a two-part International Academic-to-Business event on January 30th and February 20th,…25. 3. 2025