Carbon Footprint Assessment of Food Waste Disposal Methods in a Thai Hypermarket’s Fresh Food Department

Abstract

The global urgency to mitigate environmental degradation and promote sustainable resource use necessitates effective waste management strategies, particularly in the retail sector, which is a significant contributor to food waste. This study explores the carbon ramifications of food waste disposal methods within a hypermarket’s fresh food department in Bangkok, Thailand. Using the method of life cycle assessment (LCA) under the CML2001 framework, this study evaluates three food waste management methods: anaerobic digestion (AD), sanitary landfill, and mechanical and biological waste treatment (MBT). The analysis is structured to quantify the carbon footprint associated with each waste management strategy, measured in kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent (eq.) per kg of food waste. The estimated carbon footprint is 0.0066 kg CO2 eq./kg of food waste for MBT, 0.1221 kg CO2 eq./kg of food waste for AD, and 1.4667 kg CO2 eq./kg of food waste for sanitary landfill. These values were derived from defined system boundaries, modeling assumptions, and available operational data used to construct the life cycle inventory (LCI). In addition, a formal sensitivity analysis was not conducted in this study. Therefore, the reported values should be interpreted within the context of the modeling assumptions and data sources applied.