探討影響臺灣廢棄食物回收成因之研究

Abstract

消費端的食物浪費造成了許多負面的世界議題，例如環境迫害、自然資源消耗、人體健康及糧食安全的危害，而影響食物浪費的因素更是不勝枚數。翻閱過往的文獻大多以問卷調查所獲得的第一手資料作為研究數據，而本研究使用政府公開資料以更完整的呈現地區及國家的整體樣貌，以「廚餘回收量」當作研究目標，從總體的角度探討影響食物浪費的關鍵因素。除了臺灣整體樣貌，本研究也想了解各地區、各收入階層影響食物浪費的因素，最終將研究分成三大部分，並運用固定效果模型控制縣市之間的個體差異從，從而呈現變數與食物浪費之間的關係；將浪費程度納入考量後，進一步使用固定效果分量模型，以此探討不同分量之下影響食物浪費的關鍵因素。從實證結果可以發現，「15歲以上高等教育人口比率」、「15歲以上未婚率」和「食物銀行」在整體樣本中具有穩定的顯著影響。特別是「食物銀行」與食物浪費有很大的相關性，可能成為減少食物浪費的關鍵因素。此外，研究還發現不同地區和收入水平對食物浪費的影響因素存在差異。綜上所述，本研究透過兩種模型分析了食物浪費與各種因素的關係，提出因地制宜的政策建議，並呼籲廚餘回收量不完全代表食物浪費，應綜合考慮循環經濟原則和食物浪分費的準則來看待之。

Consumer food waste has led to numerous global issues, including environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources, risks to human health, and threats to food security. The factors influencing food waste are manifold. Previous studies have relied on survey data as primary research sources, but this study uses publicly available government data to present a more comprehensive overview of regional and national landscapes. With "food waste recycling volume" as the research target, this study examines the key factors influencing food waste from a macro perspective. Apart from the overall landscape of Taiwan, this research also aims to understand the factors influencing food waste in different regions and income levels. Ultimately, the study is divided into three main parts, employing fixed effects models to control for individual differences between counties and cities, in order to elucidate the relationship between variables and food waste. Taking the degree of waste into consideration, a fixed effects quantile model is further used to explore the key factors influencing food waste under different quantiles. Empirical results reveal that the "proportion of population aged 15 and above with higher education," "proportion of population aged 15 and above unmarried," and "food banks" exhibit consistent effects. Particularly noteworthy is the strong correlation between "food banks" and food waste, suggesting that it may serve as a crucial factor in reducing food waste. Furthermore, the study finds regional and income level variations in the factors influencing food waste, emphasizing the need for tailored policies targeting specific regions and income groups. In summary, this study uses two models to analyze the relationship between food waste and various factors, providing context-specific policy recommendations. It also highlights the importance of considering the roles of circular economy and criteria for food waste management.