Demographic covariates of residential recycling efficiency

To obtain information on recycling behavior for selected populations, demog raphic data and measurements of materials in trash containers and recycling bins were collected from a random sample of 87 residences in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. The recycling efficiency (RE) for each household had a me an of 45% and exhibited a bimodal distribution characterized by 1 group of households with near-zero RE and a second group with RE from 75% to 100%. A nnual household income, home-ownership status, and level of education attai ned by the lead recycler were significantly associated with RE. The results of this study indicate that greater participation in recycling programs am ong low socioeconomic status households in this population may yield greate r increases in waste reduction than enhanced RE of current participants. Ad ditional research is required to evaluate the degree to which these finding s can be generalized to other communities.