Salience and food waste reduction: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household food waste management behavior. By utilizing 1.6 million dining transactions at 87 restaurants in 10 Chinese cities, we find that an average 8.4 percent reduction in plate waste in restaurants associated with new COVID-19 infections at the national level during the pandemic. Further evidence shows that this change in behavior is not permanent, as the level of plate waste tends to revert to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic came under control. We test several explanations for the empirical findings and conclude that salience bias is the most plausible explanations. This insight into waste management behavior highlights the importance of utilizing salience-friendly policy instruments to effectively implement resource conservation and waste management policy goals.