Drivers of kitchen waste collection performance: A statistical analysis across Catalan and Italian municipalities

European Union's 2024 mandate for separate collection of bio-waste has catalysed significant changes in organic waste management across Member States, aiming to increase the share of bio-waste collected separately for organic treatment. This study analyses per capita kitchen waste collection in municipalities across Catalonia and Italy. It applies panel regression models for the period 2010-2021 and a cross-sectional analysis for 2021, to assess the impact of geographic, demographic, socio-economic, and waste management variables on separate collection outcomes. Main results show that advanced collection systems, particularly door-to-door schemes, are associated with an increase in kitchen waste capture rates by 12-50 kg per capita and year, with investments in separate collection translating into improvements in collection performance. Municipalities with smaller areas, medium levels of population as well as a higher proportion of older residents were also positively associated with higher per capita collection. Conversely, socio-economic challenges such as high unemployment are linked to reduced participation, while the influence of income appears context dependent. These findings provide robust empirical evidence that kitchen waste collection is shaped by a combination of factors, highlighting the effectiveness of individualised systems and the importance of socio-demographic and local context variables. Future research could explore the role of technological innovations, behavioural responses, and policy interventions related to collection system design, investment and monitoring, as well as the interaction of tourism and seasonal variations with service efficiency, and the influence of income and other socio-economic factors to inform more targeted and adaptable bio-waste management strategies.