Sustainable Food Production, Consumption, and the Generation of

comparison of these rates from 2001 to 2004 shows an increase in waste of 30.7 kg per person
per year.
With the current waste diversion strategies within the CRD, namely the household
residential recycling program, there is opportunity to reduce the amount of paper and plastic
material in the waste stream. Consumer awareness of purchasing food products and disposing
of the packaging waste responsibly is an important element in reaching this target. Possibilities
for reducing food packaging in the waste stream are to recycle waste products in order to re-use
them by other users, for other purposes or as secondary materials, and by preventing the
origination of waste (Thogersen, 1997). These strategies depend on active consumer
involvement and participation to be successful.
Currently, the CRD has not adopted any municipal by-laws that push for reduced food
packaging. There are however a number of services that are available to consumers to make
environmentally responsible choices, including the implementation of a landfill ban on specific
recyclable materials, the residential recycling program, the bottle deposit centers, and programs
for waste reduction education and awareness. Tom Watkins, a CRD city planner within the solid
waste programs, commented on a move towards more stewardship programs in British
Columbia, similar to the bottle deposit refund program, of which he says, are the “most effective
waste diversion strategy”. The stewardship bottle deposit program obtains upwards of 85
percent capture of beverage containers in the CRD. “The general principles of the industry are to
continue to adopt more stewardship programs specific to food packaging, particularly certain
plastics” (Watkins, 2005).
3.3 Ecologically conscious consumerism
There is growing recognition that environmental awareness on the part of consumers has
created an increased demand for more environmentally acceptable products (Labatt, 1997).
Analyzing the ecologically conscious consumer has gained research attention for both the
urgency of reducing food packaging in the waste stream and for adapting market research to
changing consumer behaviours (Van Dam, 1996). Recent surveys indicate that the availability
of more environmentally compatible packaging does affect consumer decision to buy one
product over another (Schwepker & Cornwell, 1991; Van Dam, 1996; Labatt, 1997). Analyzing
consumer perception of waste and their intentions to purchase ecologically packaged products
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