Food waste pilot survey - follow up with system users (2010)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 758 residents of the 15 trial areas were interviewed approximately 18 months after the commencement of the pilot. The 13 Bio Basket areas (652 interviews) and the two Kitchen Caddy areas (106) were all represented in line with their respective sizes. It should be noted that the people targeted for interview second time around were NOT a simple cross section of the population of the survey areas. They were selected on the basis of being continuing users of the food waste system at the time of interview in 2009. Apart from tending to be a little older, the demographic profile of this year’s sample was similar to the original sample. CONTINUED USE: 80% of respondents were still using the food waste system a year after the original survey. Assuming the people interviewed in this follow up survey are typical of continuing users interviewed last time, we can calculate that 58% of the general population in the trial areas would be still using the system. Extrapolated rates of continuing use were markedly higher in Bio Basket areas – 61% compared with 43% in the Kitchen Caddy areas. As already reported there was one fifth of households (20%) with no current users. However in 68% of cases, it was reported that all household members used the food waste system.