ENDING WASTED FOOD IN CITIES

The document details WWF and Delterra's pilot projects in Jayapura and Merauke, Papua, which established that households are the primary source of food waste and that significant portions of discarded food remain edible. It identifies a 'missing middle' financing gap for infrastructure investments (typically $1–3 million) and proposes a three-phased approach—starting with prevention, moving to community-scale recovery, and ending with centralized facilities—to align with the waste hierarchy and reduce methane emissions.

• Households are the primary contributors to food waste in both Jayapura and Merauke, with a significant amount of the waste being edible, which presents an opportunity for recovery and redistribution.
• Food waste levels vary between the two pilot areas, with Jayapura producing approximately 66 kg per capita per year and Merauke producing about 40 kg per capita per year.
• Existing waste infrastructure in the regencies is severely limited; in Jayapura, the Environmental Department operates in only 3 of 19 districts, while Merauke serves only one district.
• A 'missing middle' financing gap exists where required investments of $1–3 million are too large for local budgets but too small for traditional multilateral development bank lending.
• Behavior change pilots showed that rice is the largest contributor to edible food waste, and while Jayapura saw a 44% decrease in edible food waste per capita, Merauke saw an increase from 0.02 to 0.06 kg/capita due to seasonal factors.
• The report proposes a phased investment strategy: Phase 1 focuses on prevention and reduction (Years 1-2), Phase 2 on community-scale recycling and recovery (Years 2-4), and Phase 3 on centralized waste facilities (Years 4-7+).

APA

WWF International (2026). ENDING WASTED FOOD IN CITIES. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2470/2026_FLW_Papua_Global_Case_Study.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. ENDING WASTED FOOD IN CITIES. 2026. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2470/2026_FLW_Papua_Global_Case_Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=ENDING WASTED FOOD IN CITIES |date=2026 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2470/2026_FLW_Papua_Global_Case_Study.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2026ending, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{ENDING WASTED FOOD IN CITIES}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2470/2026_FLW_Papua_Global_Case_Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }