ANALYZING CHANGES IN WASTE REDUCTION BEHAVIOR IN A LOW-INCOME URBAN-COMMUNITY FOLLOWING A PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

This study investigated the changes in waste reduction behavior in Eas t Harlem, New York, before and after an educational outreach program. Using focus groups and survey data, the attitudinal and behavioral cha racteristics of residents were monitored across the two periods. The r esults showed improvements in the total daily recyclables collected, f rom 8.7 tons in April 1993 to 11.4 tons in April 1994. There were wide spread variations in environmental behavior among residents in the pri vate and public housing units. Specifically, waste recovery rates obse rved in the public housing units were restricted by structural constra ints in the buildings, lack of resources, and relatively poor access t o the drop-off sites. The age of the residents, apartment ownership, a nd household size were also among the important predictors of behavior . These findings provide important implications for developing and mai ntaining successful recovery and reduction programs in communities wit h similar demographic profiles.