DEVELOPMENT OF A FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR RESTAURANTS BASED ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES: A CASE STUDY OF SAKON NAKHON CITY MUNICIPALITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/jesm.2026.3Keywords:
Greenhouse gas, Food waste, SakonNakhon municipality, Circular economy, Municipal solid waste managementAbstract
Food waste is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane generated from anaerobic decomposition in landfills. Sakon Nakhon Municipality generates approximately 12,257 tons of food waste annually, with a substantial share originating from restaurants. This study develops the Sakon Nakhon Food Waste Circular Model (SN-FWCM) under the “Separate Before Disposal” initiative, applying circular economy (CE) principles at the local level while assessing GHG mitigation potential and economic performance. The model adopts an integrated, end-to-end approach comprising 1) source separation 2) segregated collection and transportation and 3) end-of-life treatment through municipal-scale composting. A total of 34 restaurants voluntarily participated, and quantitative data were collected from March to August 2025. Results indicate that operators effectively aligned with the model, demonstrating consistent source separation, moisture reduction prior to disposal, and adherence to scheduled collection. In total, 21,922 kg of food waste were diverted into the management system, averaging 167 kg day-¹. GHG analysis shows a reduction of 10,705.74 kgCO2e, corresponding to an approximate 81% decrease relative to a landfill-based baseline. Economic analysis reveals cost savings of 2,039.04 THB per ton of food waste, with a mitigation cost of 2,402 THB tCO2e-¹; the net cost is 4,229.42 THB tCO2e-¹, indicating a cost-saving mitigation option. The SN-FWCM delivers substantial environmental and economic co-benefits and demonstrates strong potential for replication across local administrative organizations to advance circular economy–based waste management and accelerate the transition toward a low-carbon society
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