Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti kodumajapidamistes ja toitlustusasutustes

The report analyzes food waste in Estonia, finding that households are the largest contributors, with an average of 130.4 kg of food waste per household annually. In the catering sector, restaurants exhibit the highest rate of food loss, with 87% of their total food waste being avoidable. The study identifies food spoilage as the primary driver of household waste and plate leftovers as the main cause in hospitals and restaurants. It concludes with specific recommendations for households, schools, and healthcare facilities to reduce waste through better planning and consumer awareness.

• Estonian households generate an average of 130.4 kg of food waste per year (2.5 kg per week), of which 36% is avoidable food loss, totaling 46.9 kg per year per household.
• Cooked (ready-to-eat) food is the most significant component of avoidable household food waste at 35%, followed by fruits/berries and milk products/eggs at 16% each.
• The primary reason for avoidable food loss in households is spoilage, accounting for 44% of cases, while preparing too much food accounts for 14%.
• In the catering sector, food loss averages 59% of total food waste, with the highest proportion found in restaurants (87%) and the lowest in cafés (29%).
• Restaurants have the highest food loss per portion at 25.3%, whereas school canteens and cafés have the lowest at approximately 6%.
• Plate leftovers are the dominant cause of food loss in hospitals (88%) and most catering institutions, while canteens and buffets see the highest loss from prepared food that remains unserved (46%).
• Household food waste varies by demographic: families with children show the highest food loss per person, while older households (over 65) waste the least.
• Low-income households have the highest relative share of food loss (45%) compared to their total waste, often due to purchasing discounted products with short expiration dates that are not consumed in time.
• It is estimated that Estonian households waste approximately 63 million euros worth of food annually.
• Approximately 50% of households separate food waste, with 30% of all households using bio-waste containers (primarily in Tallinn) and 20% composting.

APA

Moora, H., Urbel-Piirsalu, E., & Õunapuu, K. (2015). Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti kodumajapidamistes ja toitlustusasutustes. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sei-2015-report-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-estonian-households-and-catering-institutions-sei-tallinn1.pdf

Chicago

Moora, Harri, Evelin Urbel-Piirsalu, and Kerlin Õunapuu. Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti kodumajapidamistes ja toitlustusasutustes. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sei-2015-report-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-estonian-households-and-catering-institutions-sei-tallinn1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moora |first1=Harri |last2=Urbel-Piirsalu |first2=Evelin |last3=Õunapuu |first3=Kerlin |title=Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti kodumajapidamistes ja toitlustusasutustes |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=August 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sei-2015-report-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-estonian-households-and-catering-institutions-sei-tallinn1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moora2015toidujtmete, author = {Moora, Harri and Urbel-Piirsalu, Evelin and Õunapuu, Kerlin}, title = {{Toidujäätmete ja toidukao teke Eesti kodumajapidamistes ja toitlustusasutustes}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sei-2015-report-food-waste-and-food-loss-in-estonian-households-and-catering-institutions-sei-tallinn1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }