Issues associated with transforming household attitudes and opinions into materials recovery: a review of two kerbside recycling schemes

New mandatory household recycling targets present a serious challenge to Lo cal Authorities within the UK. Nine out of ten households claim to recycle, yet the National recycling rate remains at 9%. Fully understanding how to convert household attitudes and opinions into efficient participatory behav iour, within what still remains a voluntary activity, is essential if targe ts are to be met at an 'affordable' economic and environmental cost. Househ old attitudes and opinions towards recycling are reviewed and problems conv erting these positive responses into high material recycling levels are dis cussed. Households recycle primarily for environmental reasons and adequate scheme provision whilst 'inconvenience/no time' was cited as the largest b arrier to recycling. Providing informative feedback to households increased overall scheme diversion levels up to a maximum of 48%, participation up t o 93% and weekly set out levels up to 84%. Recoveries of all fractions incr eased, particularly the packaging fraction following feedback. Although bot h kerbside schemes increased the proportion of households claiming to recyc le, they differed in relation to the level of participation, recovery of co mparable materials, participant's efficiency of participation, household sa tisfaction and desire to change the scheme and the type of recycler attract ed to the scheme. Household recycling efficiency is thought to be related t o: (1) the level of inconvenience posed to the householder in relation to t he type and design of the scheme offered; (2) the material being recycled; and (3) the level of change required in existing behaviours in order to par ticipate within a particular recycling scheme. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved.