The Invisible Life of Food Waste

THE CASE OF LJUBLJANA HOUSEHOLDS

Authors

  • Dan Podjed ZRC SAZU, Institute of Slovenian Ethnology, Novi trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana and University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana
  • Katarina Polajnar Horvat ZRC SAZU, Anton Melik Geographical Istitute, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3986/Traditio2020490106

Keywords:

food waste, sustainability, ethnography, survey, Ljubljana

Abstract

In recent years, food waste has become an important issue that attracts attention from scientists, consumers, and activists. According to the World Bank, one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted. In Slovenia, almost 131,800 tons of food waste were generated in 2017, or 64 kg per person on average. This article presents the findings of a study on household food waste in Slovenia and, more specifically, its capital, Ljubljana. The authors studied food waste management using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches (i.e., a survey and an ethnographic study). These approaches were combined in order to obtain a broader picture of waste management and explain how, when, and why people “transform” food into waste.

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Published

03.10.2020

How to Cite

Podjed, D., & Polajnar Horvat, K. (2020). The Invisible Life of Food Waste: THE CASE OF LJUBLJANA HOUSEHOLDS. Traditiones, 49(1), 109–124. https://doi.org/10.3986/Traditio2020490106

Issue

Section

Transforming sustainability / Preobrazba trajnostnega razvoja