Food waste: a complication or a solution to a circular economy? Circular food waste strategies within the hospitality sector in the Netherlands

Abstract

The Netherlands established a programme which aims for a Circular Economy by 2050. The national results towards this goal looked promising, until a stagnation in that trend became evident. The problem appeared to be that the Netherlands focused too much on the recycling strategy and too little on the other strategies. Furthermore, the Netherlands has not found an advanced way on how to reuse the recycled products in a high-quality manner. A Circular Economy (CE) is an economy in which no waste is produced and all resources are circular. Researchers say that a CE can be achieved through the use of efficient Integrated Waste Management (IWM) (Cobo, Dominguez-Ramos & Irabien, 2018). Therefore, this study has drawn up an efficient form of integrated waste management on the basis of food waste. In this research, this form of IWM is referred to as Circular Food Waste Management (CFWM). This research investigates through these concepts how far the hospitality sector in the Netherlands is in implementing food waste strategies. The research revealed challenges which the hospitality sector has to deal with as well as the profits that are gained through the implementation of the strategies.

Let’s not forget, what comes around goes around.