Oskamp, Stuart, Maura J. Harrington, Todd C. Edwards, Deborah L. Sherwood, Shawn M. Okuda, and Deborah C. Swanson. 1991. “Factors Influencing Household Recycling Behavior.” Environment and Behavior 23 (4) (July 1): 494 -519. doi:10.1177/0013916591234005.
This is an earlier recycling study (1991) that examines the recycling behavior of a small city in California. The variables include age, education, homeownership and several other factors. And how they affect or influence recycling behavior, especially curbside pick-up, which was relatively new at that time.
The outcome of this study is that it confirmed some past research “that different environmentally responsible behaviors have different patterns of antecedents.” However there were significant differences when curbside recycling was introduced.
The first reason given was the convenience of having the collection come to you on a regular basis. The second reason was that it took less space in the home to recycle. The third reason is that the city provides the homeowner with the containers to put the recycling in. The fourth reason is, for lack of a better phrase, peer pressure. The neighbors are doing it.
One major predictor for positive recycling behavior is home ownership, especially if it is a single family home, especially if the family owns it. Another positive predictor was if there had been a past behavior of recycling for cash.
Recycling behavior, in general was more likely in homes where there was a higher level of education attained, and the level of conservation knowledge. It is interesting to note that recycling behavior was not a predictor of other environmentally friendly behavior.
This study has one flaw from the start; the sample was quite small compared to the population, and therefore may have had a higher margin of error.
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