I am doing some research related to how much the need for regular cleaning of kitchen compost pails and leaking pail liners are a barrier to participation in municipal organic collection programs. Anecdotal evidence seems to show that these may be the single biggest barriers to increased participation. I am hoping that someone may have done some research or is aware of some research in this regards. Thank you for you input.
Michael Calvert
Canada
Barriers to Home Composting ... the dirty kitchen compost pail and leaky pail liners
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Hi Michael,
Metro Vancouver did extensive surveys before a food scraps recycling pilot project, and found the biggest fear was flies, not odour and not the "yuck factor", which is where leaking liners would fit. Flies were the thing people were most worried about.
Now, I would still take that with a grain of salt, because surveys essentially can't be trusted--they just return our Post Hoc Rationalizations of our behaviour, not our true beliefs or behaviours.
The only reliable way to discover this is through observation of different strategies.
But to that I would ask, why bother? People need to recycle their food scraps. Set the parameters and let the market figure out pail liners or pail washers or whatever it will turn out to be.
Focus on establishing the social proof that creates a contagious environment in which people "catch" composting. Focus on the regulations that, for example, forbid haulers from selling only garbage service and require them to sell all three services--recycling, food scraps, and garbage--as a package.
I think if you focus on pails, you will spend a lot of money and mind-share to fix the problem, and then it will be shown that wasn't the problem all along.
Ruben Anderson
smallanddeliciouslife.com