Sustainable Food Waste Management: a Multi-criteria Approach for Assessing the Use of Food Waste Disposal Units (fwds) and the Anaerobic Co-digestion of Separately Collected Food Waste with Sewage Sludge

Purpose: In face of the need for sustainable solutions in the field of food waste management, the use of food waste disposal units (FWDs) and the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge have recently been attracting more attention as an alternative to landfill. Methods: In this study a sustainability framework was developed in order to aid decision making in food waste management for these two options using a multi-criteria approach. This framework was applied in the Anglian region in the UK as a case study. Results: the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge could be more sustainable than the use of FWDs. Nevertheless, this result only provides guidance to stakeholders, as the different primacies originating from them could possibly lead to a reversal in the overall outcome. Conclusions: the successful use of the sustainability framework depends largely on the thorough collection of detailed data. Data are essential components for the comprehensive assessment of the two food waste management options, as it matters when decisions are to be made especially for food waste management processes that require a large-scale of investment costs to be incurred. A holistic appraisal of the environmental, economic and social aspects of the use of FWDs and the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with sewage sludge based on area-specific characteristics and practices is recommended for facilitating successful application of the sustainability framework and consequently the support of sound decision-making.