| Author | Seldon, Meto |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-26-09 |
| Subject(s) | Food waste--Forecasting--Thailand
Machine learning
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Institutional food waste management often lacks source-specific data for effective mitigation. This study addresses this gap by quantifying, categorizing, analyzing, and forecasting food waste at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). Over an 81-day period (November 2025 February 2026), a mixed-methods approach was employed, combining direct field measurements from 46 zones with resident surveys to identify behavioral drivers. The results indicated a total measured waste of 12,007.27 kg, which was extrapolated to an estimated campus-wide total of 21,847.73 kg, with an average measured waste generation of 148.24 ± 3.98 kg/day. The primary contributors were shops (36.04%) and kitchen dormitories (32.16%). Waste generation consistently peaked on Mondays and Tuesdays and increased during examination period.Three machine learning models were evaluated: Random Forest, Gradient Boosting and support Vector Regression (SVR). SVR emerged as the most reliable model (R2 = 0.6538), offering superior stability and generalization on unseen data compared to Random Forest, which exhibited overfitting. Feature importance analysis identified “Lag 1” (previous day’s waste) as the primary predictors, indicating persistent campus waste behavior.This research highlights the shift from routine disposal to proactive, category specific interventions such as portion control and campus food bank. These strategies align with Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model, providing a data-driven framework for institutional sustainability. |
| Year | 2026 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2026) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Thammarat Koottatep |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ghimire, Anish;Tatchai Pussayanavin |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Global Water and Sanitation (GWSC);AIT Scholarship |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026 |
