Cardiff Waste Trial Survey and Evaluation Project
Lead Researchers: Louise Obara and Jeroen Dijkshoorn
Background
In 2002 Cardiff County Council commissioned the BRASS Centre to undertake research into the waste management and purchasing practices of householders involved in a new kerbside recycling scheme in Cardiff, a city of over 300,000 residents. The research compared and anaylsed householders' opinions of the scheme, as well as exploring their attitudes towards recycling, waste minimisation and waste in general.
Over 9,000 questionnaires were sent to Cardiff households (with a 30% response rate) and nearly 40 follow-up interviews conducted.
Aims and Objectives
The project aimed to:
• examine how waste is managed within the household
• identify the factors, such as socio-economic, which affect how waste is managed within households and in purchasing behaviours
• understand purchasing behaviours within households and the relationship this has to waste creation
• gain feedback from householders on the effectiveness of Cardiff County Council’s recycling scheme in their area
• determine the most effective ways to engage householders to recycle and minimise their waste.
Methodology
During 2003 and 2004 over 9,000 questionnaires were sent to households in Cardiff exploring all aspects of waste management behaviours and attitudes; an overall response rate of 30% was achieved.
To supplement and explore trends identified in the survey nearly 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Cardiff residents. These were randonly chosen from those who returned the questionnaire. In addition, interviews took place with interested individuals and stakeholders, such as regional and national government officials and civil society groups, in order to determine the spectrum of opinions on all aspects of household waste management policy and behaviour.
Outputs
Obara, L J. 2005. Is waste minimisation a challenge too far?: the experience of household waste management and purchasing in the UK. BRASS Working Paper No. 29.
Darby L J & Obara L J. 2005. Household recycling behaviour and attitudes towards the disposal of small electrical and electronic equipment. Resources, Conservation and Recycling Volume 44, Issue 1 pp17-35.
Obara L J. 'Waste minimisation - a challenge too far? The experience of household waste management and purchasing in the UK'. Paper presented at Waste - The Social Context Conference, Edmonton, Canada, May 11-14, 2005.
Obara L J. 'Sustainable consumption and lifestyle changes: the experience of household waste management and purchasing in the UK'. Paper presented at the European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production, Bilbao, Spain, May 12-14, 2004.
Obara L J & Hines, F. 2003. Cardiff Waste Trial Survey and Evaluation Project: Interim Report. Report for Cardiff County Council.
Key Findings
• The introduction of a household kerbside recycling scheme dramatically increased recycling behaviour. Overall, 81% of householders claimed they recycled frequently (i.e. every 1-2 weeks). The amount of waste that respondents recycle is somewhat poorer, with 59% claiming that they recycle all of their waste and 30% recycling only some waste.
• The study found there were three main reasons behind householders recycling their waste; concern for the environment, the ease with which residents could recycle their waste and the presence of a kerbside recycling scheme.
• Recycling as a concept is supported by the vast majority of respondents. The notion that individuals do not take responsibility for their waste - as claimed in the past and usually referred to as the 'out of sight, out of mind' philosophy - was not confirmed by the research.
• Some waste minimisation behaviour is taking place although not to the extent of recycling. One reason for this is that householders believe they are powerless to reduce many waste streams. The amount of packaging on products was the most frequent complaint. However certain items, such as plastic bags and junk mail, respondents felt they were able to minimise without major difficulty.
• The act of recycling has influenced other sustainable waste related behaviours. For example, respondents who claimed they recycled frequently were more likely to minimise their waste than those who infrequently or never recycled. It appears that recycling has lead to new, albeit connected, sustainable behaviours, which have taken place without media or LA involvement encouraging households to minimise the amount of waste they generate.
