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Information and the decision to recycle: results from a survey of US households

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  • Hilary Nixon
  • Jean-Daniel Saphores

Abstract

This paper relies on a unique dataset collected during a national survey of US households to explore how different sources of information (print, television, radio, family/friends, work/school and others) influence the decision to start recycling. Although print media are influential, it is found that face-to-face communication (through family/friends or work/school) is the most effective medium to get people to start recycling. However, it is even better to provide households with recycling information from multiple sources. The respondents in this study identify concerns about storage space, time and the safety of recycling as the main obstacles to start recycling. In addition, age and ethnicity are statistically significant but not income or education. These findings should be useful for crafting information campaigns designed to boost recycling, although to be successful these campaigns need to incorporate findings from environmental psychology and knowledge of specific communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilary Nixon & Jean-Daniel Saphores, 2009. "Information and the decision to recycle: results from a survey of US households," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 257-277.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:52:y:2009:i:2:p:257-277
    DOI: 10.1080/09640560802666610
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Babaei, Ali Akbar & Alavi, Nadali & Goudarzi, Gholamreza & Teymouri, Pari & Ahmadi, Kambiz & Rafiee, Mohammad, 2015. "Household recycling knowledge, attitudes and practices towards solid waste management," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 94-100.
    2. Majid Ghorbani & Liyan Xuan, 2018. "Challenging Ingrained Thoughts? The Joint Effect of Stereotypes and Awareness of Related Information on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Lane, Gordon W.S. & Wagner, Travis P., 2013. "Examining recycling container attributes and household recycling practices," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 32-40.
    4. Lim-Wavde, Kustini & Kauffman, Robert J. & Dawson, Gregory S., 2017. "Household informedness and policy analytics for the collection and recycling of household hazardous waste in California," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 88-107.
    5. Campbell, Benjamin & Khachatryan, Hayk & Behe, Bridget & Hall, Charles & Dennis, Jennifer, 2016. "Crunch the can or throw the bottle? Effect of “bottle deposit laws” and municipal recycling programs," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 98-109.
    6. Czajkowski, Mikolaj & Hanley, Nicholas & Nyborg, Karine, 2014. "Social norms, morals and self-interest as determinants of pro-environment behaviour," Stirling Economics Discussion Papers 2014-06, University of Stirling, Division of Economics.
    7. Ruixia Han & Jian Xu, 2020. "A Comparative Study of the Role of Interpersonal Communication, Traditional Media and Social Media in Pro-Environmental Behavior: A China-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-21, March.
    8. Aphale, Omkar & Thyberg, Krista L. & Tonjes, David J., 2015. "Differences in waste generation, waste composition, and source separation across three waste districts in a New York suburb," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 19-28.
    9. Xiufen Xie & Yan Hong & Xianyi Zeng & Xiaoqun Dai & Melissa Wagner, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review for the Recycling and Reuse of Wasted Clothing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    10. Pongsun Bunditsakulchai & Chen Liu, 2021. "Integrated Strategies for Household Food Waste Reduction in Bangkok," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
    11. Yomna M. Sameer & Suzanna Elmassah & Charilaos Mertzanis & Lujain El-Maghraby, 2021. "Are Happier Nations More Responsible? Examining the Link Between Happiness and Sustainability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 267-295, November.
    12. Kenichi SHIMAMOTO, 2019. "Determining Factors Of Waste Management In Japan," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 14(3), pages 62-76, August.
    13. López-Mosquera, Natalia & Lera-López, Fernando & Sánchez, Mercedes, 2015. "Key factors to explain recycling, car use and environmentally responsible purchase behaviors: A comparative perspective," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 29-39.
    14. Paola Briganti & Concetta Metallo & Maria Margherita Pagliuca & Luisa Varriale, 2023. "Exploring Citizens’ Behavior to Promote Environmental Sustainability: The Role of Information Overload and Urban Sustainable Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, February.
    15. Patricia Arttachariya, 2021. "A Study of Generation Y Thai Consumers’ Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Related to Plastic Pollution," RAIS Conference Proceedings 2021 0063, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.
    16. Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses & Neringa Vilkaite-Vaitone, 2020. "Pinpointing the Barriers to Recycling at Destination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Alessandra DiGiacomo & David W.-L. Wu & Peter Lenkic & Bud Fraser & Jiaying Zhao & Alan Kingstone, 2018. "Convenience improves composting and recycling rates in high-density residential buildings," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(2), pages 309-331, January.
    18. Mijeong Noh, 2021. "Understanding the Effect of Information Sources on College Students’ Recycling/Reuse Behavior towards Clothing and Textile Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-14, June.
    19. Willman, Kenneth W., 2015. "Information sharing and curbside recycling: A pilot study to evaluate the value of door-to-door distribution of informational literature," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 162-171.
    20. Brian Chi-ang Lin & Siqi Zheng & Marie Briguglio, 2016. "Household Cooperation In Waste Management: Initial Conditions And Intervention," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 497-525, July.
    21. Saphores, Jean-Daniel M. & Nixon, Hilary, 2014. "How effective are current household recycling policies? Results from a national survey of U.S. households," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-10.
    22. Nachalida Yukalang & Beverley Clarke & Kirstin Ross, 2018. "Solid Waste Management Solutions for a Rapidly Urbanizing Area in Thailand: Recommendations Based on Stakeholder Input," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, June.
    23. repec:sss:wpaper:201403 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. D'Amato, Alessio & Giaccherini, Matilde & Zoli, Mariangela, 2019. "The Role of Information Sources and Providers in Shaping Green Behaviors. Evidence from Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    25. Yerbol Sarbassov & Tolkyn Sagalova & Obid Tursunov & Christos Venetis & Stefanos Xenarios & Vassilis Inglezakis, 2019. "Survey on Household Solid Waste Sorting at Source in Developing Economies: A Case Study of Nur-Sultan City in Kazakhstan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-17, November.

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