Eftychia Ntostoglou

Do you sort your food waste separately from other types of waste at home?

Did you know that it becomes mandatory to sort your food waste in all EU member states by the end of 2023?

I am a PhD candidate studying the transition to biowaste valorization systems : systems that treat our food waste as well as other types of urban biowaste. The sustainable management of biowaste is a key challenge for cities globally. Our top priority should be to reduce the biowaste we generate in cities. However, the unavoidable biowaste is a valuable resource that we can transform into products from biogas and fertilizers to bioplastics and pharmaceuticals among others. Several technologies, which enable the transformation of biowaste into useful products, have long been available and several others rapidly emerge. However, the transition to systems that harness the potential of biowaste is still at early stages globally.

My PhD research is based on three key research questions:

• What are the potential sustainability implications which can occur in the transition to biowaste valorization systems?
• How can we facilitate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration between stakeholders from different fields and sectors to develop biowaste valorization systems?
• How can relevant stakeholders address the sustainability implications of biowaste valorization to ensure a transition to sustainable biowaste valorization systems which contribute to a wider circular bioeconomy ?

Through methods of evidence synthesis (eg literature review and stakeholder interviews), I aim to contribute to knowledge synthesis that facilitates interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration towards sustainable biowaste valorization. My work has been funded by FORMAS through the research project Bio-based circular model for sustainable urban economies .

Originally from Greece, I obtained my BSc in Geography from the Harokopio University of Athens, Greece and an MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.