Impact of self-efficacy on food waste reduction and its consequences in the solid waste economy using Monte Carlo simulation

The share of food waste in waste management costs is important because food waste constitutes a significant portion of municipal solid waste. Although the quantity of food waste depends on the food culture and behavior of citizens, but the impact of citizens' dietary behavior on solid waste management costs is a knowledge gap. In this study effect of improving self-efficacy in food management behavior at home on reducing municipal solid waste management costs in Iran was investigated. For this purpose, the proportion of food waste reduction and related financial implications in waste management costs due to change in five main effective factors was calculated based on a financial model and Monte Carlo simulation. Although the cost of food waste management was more than 127,000 USD/year, improving food management behavior due to women's self-efficacy in different scenarios will lead to a reduction in waste production by 45% and reduction in food waste management costs by 5.9-35.7%. Efforts to increase knowledge and modify citizens' attitudes, leading to improved household food management behavior, have an important impact on reducing municipal waste management costs. Therefore, educating citizens is essential, especially in developing regions that are facing increasing solid waste production rates.