Tracking household food waste beyond consumer-blame: A socio-technical response to the Danish household food waste measurement gap
Authors
Blanaru, Juliana ; Brodersen, Sara Kristine ; Bang, Julie Bergholt
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-04
Pages
62
Abstract
Current Danish and EU policies on household food waste rest on shaky evidence: infrequent measurements, self-reported estimates, and top‑down modeling. This measurement gap stalls effective governance. Rather than blaming individual consumers, the thesis frames the home as a socio-technical setting where waste is a structural by-product of daily routines and material arrangements. Using Practice Theory (the study of everyday routines) and the Multi-Level Perspective (a framework for socio-technical change), the research combines system mapping, seven expert interviews, and a socio-technical photo-diary study with 19 households. It examines whether a materially embedded design intervention can both make waste physically visible at the moment of disposal to support reduction at home and act as a distributed infrastructure that generates continuous, bottom-up primary data to reform national policy. Findings show a gap between perceived and observed waste, confirming the distortions inherent in retrospective self-reporting. The data also indicate that discarding is strongly shaped by locked-in physical conditions, such as concealed bin placement and rigid retail formats. In line with research on the “measurement effect,” the study argues that physical, point-of-disposal visibility should replace abstract awareness campaigns to disrupt routines. To bridge the national measurement gap, an intervention must be easy to adopt for distracted users yet yield rich, structured data that can be aggregated at scale. The thesis evaluates two dual-purpose design concepts—a material-centric smart scale and an infrastructure-centric, AI-enabled bin—validated through expert and institutional feedback. Ultimately, neither fully resolves the tension between frictionless domestic use and high-integrity data generation. The conclusion is that reliable national metrics require shifting measurement from a periodic administrative exercise to an everyday, physically integrated routine in households.
Danmark og EU baserer i dag politik om husholdningers madspild på et skrøbeligt vidensgrundlag: sjældne målinger, selvrapporterede skøn og top‑down-modellering. Dette målehul forhindrer effektiv styring. I stedet for at skyde skylden på den enkelte forbruger fremstiller afhandlingen hjemmet som et låst socio-teknisk sted, hvor spild opstår som et strukturelt biprodukt af hverdagsrutiner og materielle indretninger. Med Praksisteori (studiet af hverdagsrutiner) og den Multi-Level Perspective (en ramme for socio-tekniske forandringer) kombinerer studiet systemisk kortlægning, syv ekspertinterviews og et socio-teknisk fotodagbogsforløb med 19 husholdninger. Målet er at undersøge, hvordan en materielt indlejret designløsning samtidig kan gøre spild fysisk synligt i bortkastningsøjeblikket for at støtte reduktion i hjemmet og fungere som en distribueret infrastruktur, der genererer løbende, bottom-up primærdata til at reformere national politik. Resultaterne viser et misforhold mellem oplevet og observeret spild, hvilket bekræfter forvridningerne ved retrospektiv selvrapportering. Dataene viser også, at bortskaffelse i høj grad styres af fastlåste fysiske forhold, fx skjult placering af skraldespande og stive detailformater. I tråd med forskning i “målingseffekten” argumenterer afhandlingen for, at fysisk synlighed ved selve affaldsafleveringen bør erstatte abstrakte oplysningskampagner for at bryde vaner. For at lukke det nationale målehul må en løsning være let at gå til for den distraherede bruger, men samtidig levere detaljerede, strukturerede data, der kan aggregeres på makroniveau. Afhandlingen vurderer to toformåls-designkoncepter—en materiale-centreret smart-vægt og en infrastruktur-centreret, AI-drevet skraldespand—valideret gennem feedback fra eksperter og institutioner. Ingen af dem løser dog sømløst spændingen mellem friktionsfri brug i hjemmet og dataintegritet. Konklusionen er, at præcise nationale opgørelser kræver, at måling flyttes fra en periodisk administrativ øvelse til en daglig, fysisk integreret rutine i husholdningen.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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