Can Practical Tips Contribute to Reducing Food Waste? An Experiment on the Consumption Behavior of Students in Single-Person Households

Last registered on December 03, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Can Practical Tips Contribute to Reducing Food Waste? An Experiment on the Consumption Behavior of Students in Single-Person Households
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014821
Initial registration date
November 29, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
December 03, 2024, 1:38 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Wendelin Schnedler
Affiliation
Paderborn University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Vinoshika Vigneswaran
PI Affiliation
Paderborn University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-12-01
End date
2025-02-28
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
food waste reduction, nudging, single-person households, students
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Studies show that small suggestions can influence an individuals's decision-making and therefore lead them to make more sustainable choices. In this study, we aim to examine whether providing a few tips can help people to reduce their food waste. Many people unintentionally waste food, due to a lack of experience in managing food, especially in single-person households. To investigate this, we plan to conduct an experiment in which participants either receive a flyer with practical tips to raise awareness to reduce food waste or none at all. By comparing the amount of food waste between both groups, we hope to determine whether these tips have a significant impact on food waste reduction.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Schnedler, Wendelin and Vinoshika Vigneswaran. 2024. "Can Practical Tips Contribute to Reducing Food Waste? An Experiment on the Consumption Behavior of Students in Single-Person Households." AEA RCT Registry. December 03. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14821-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
One group is given a flyer with tips on how to reduce food waste, including suggestions to use up existing food before buying more, create a shopping list to avoid unnecessary purchases, store food properly to prevent spoiling, and use leftovers effectively.
Intervention Start Date
2025-01-05
Intervention End Date
2025-01-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Organic waste in gramm
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Organic waste is measured in two weeks, the primary outcome is the measure of the second week.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
using up existing food, use of shopping list, avoid unnecessary purchases, store food properly, use leftovers, organic waste in gramm in first week
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
The secondary outcomes are the answers to the respective questions in the post-experimental questionnaire.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment involves students living in single-person households in Paderborn and Bonn. The participants each receive a compost bin to dispose of their organic waste for two weeks. At the end of each week, the amount of waste in the bin will be measured and compared to determine the impact of the intervention. The participants are divided into two groups:

Flyer-Group: Each participant receives a flyer with tips on how to reduce food waste.
No-Flyer-Group: Participants receive no intervention and continue with their usual behaviors regarding food waste.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Single-person household
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
40 households
Sample size: planned number of observations
40 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
20 households with tips
20 households without tips
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
GfeW - German Association for Experimental Economic Research
IRB Approval Date
2024-11-29
IRB Approval Number
r8srCXAc
Analysis Plan