The Social Context of Recycling

Derksen, L. & Gartrell, J. (1993). The social context of recycling. American Sociological Review, 58, 3, 434-442.
Examined the role of social context in the link between individual attitudes about the environment and recycling behavior by comparing communities that vary in their access to recycling programs. Data were obtained from 448 face-to-face interviews and 797 telephone interviews with residents of the province of Alberta, Canada, in 1990. Results show that people with access to a structured recycling program and with ample storage space had much higher levels of recycling than did people lacking such access. Individual attitudes toward the environment affected recycling behavior only in the community with easy access to a structured recycling program. Individual concern about the environment enhanced the effect of the recycling program, but did not overcome the barriers presented by lack of access.
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