Final Report Summary - WASTE PREVENTION (Analysis of Waste Prevention Behaviour through a Conceptual Statistical Model and Scenario Simulation)
There is the growing awareness that environmental problems have as much to do with the decisions and actions of ordinary people as with those of governments and corporations. While this is true, the implementation of this to practice has a considerable distance to travel in achieving significant results. This study starts from the argument that the solution for solid waste issues involves not only technical and economic regulations, but also real changes in individuals' behaviour. In case of waste prevention behaviour, much research is still need to find the significant links and possible points of intervention. Doing so requires an interdisciplinary study to provide an explanation to such complex interaction of questions.
By empirically testing a pre-conceived behaviour model for waste prevention, an extensive analysis of personal and social influences was conducted to understand the involvement of individuals in waste prevention policies. Overall, this study aimed to explain how waste prevention behaviour is initiated and persisted by individuals.
Firstly, in order to expand the understanding of the conceptual model for waste prevention behaviour (WPB), a household survey assessment was applied in two different cities (Sao Paulo and Sheffield) that differ in socio-demographic characteristics, specific social norms and situational factors regarding waste prevention activities. The purpose was to establish whether there was any further underlying structure to the behaviour in view of the impossibility to determine their influence on the previous study.
Since WPB depends on various factors since individuals hold diverse needs and priorities. There will be always some uncertainty that it is not possible to account for. Thus, with the intention to comprehend waste prevention policy effectiveness, it was necessary to replicate the individuals' behaviour in a determined system based on the local situation. In other words, a simulation was designed to test out possible policy interventions and other events in future scenarios based on a virtual society of autonomous agents that behave according to the conceptual model for WPB.
For the most part, the model's hypotheses, defined with reference to the theory, were supported. Thus, it can be stated that higher standards of waste prevention involvement can be found with household's members possessing strong perceived behaviour control (PBC) and personal norms. That is, those who attach less importance to the obstacles to participating, or those who are more aware of the importance of their own individual contribution, are the more likely to behave appropriately toward solid waste reduction. This suggests that a successful way to maximise participation in prevention programs should foster a sense of moral obligation to reducing solid waste. Thus, as policy strategy, the local government should enforce the importance of waste prevention within the population in order to enhance participation in future waste prevention programs.
In addition, the results proved the absence of a significant positive direct relationship between subjective norms and WPB, as suggested by the conceptual model. The results show that individuals might not consider the opinion of family, peers and society as a pressure to engage in WPB, supporting the premise that subjective norms have only an indirect effect on the behaviour. Thus, individuals may tend to internalise the pressure from peers, family and friends as their own personal norms. Considering that most previous studies indicated that subjective norms are an important factor in order to engage individuals with the behaviour; waste prevention, in contrast to recycling, provides significantly less opportunity for social pressure to be exerted since it is carried out in the privacy of the individual's house. These results underline the importance of subjective norms in explaining WPB; it interacts with personal norms to influence behaviour rather than directly.
Based on this study's results, it is possible to conclude that the option of promoting waste prevention through PBC should be an important aim in the communication strategy. The marketing strategy for solid waste management programs in Sheffield and Sao Paulo has relied too much on the traditional means of mass communication, such as TV, radio, billboards, magazines, and newspapers. But for decreasing the individuals' barriers about the perception behaviour difficulties (PBC), a direct marketing approach, from a business-to-consumer perspective, seems of particular interest in case of waste prevention. In summary, clear instructions on how to reduce solid waste should be provided without overwhelming citisens and should emphasise that waste prevention is an economic alternative and does not have to be inconvenient to them.
The models also supported the influence of personal norms on the WPB. This suggests that a successful way to maximise participation in prevention programs should foster a sense of moral obligation to reduce solid waste. Thus, as policy strategy, the local government should enforce the importance of waste prevention within the population in order to enhance participation in future waste prevention programmes.
The results provide more specific information about the underlying structure of WPB. And consequently, to develop a better critical and scientific comprehension of the role and impact of demand side measures on individuals' behaviour. Additionally, this study provides the much-need justification to make the municipal authorities, not only in the United Kingdom and in Brazil, but also any other developed and developing country, to apply waste prevention policies as their most important input to reduce environmental impacts from solid waste increasing generation.
Understanding the nature of human behaviour can provide stakeholders with important insights into how to structure the information and tools in an appropriate way such as to encourage waste prevention behaviour. Of course, waste management policies that include behavioural change strategies demand more time and resources to implement and manage. However, any additional effort could be recouped from enhancements in the quality and reduction of wastes produced.
Finally, this study offer a critical review to the state of the art on this scientific field discussing minimum standards for waste prevention regulations not only along the production, consumption, post-consumption and disposal processes but also within the development of public policy interventions.
By empirically testing a pre-conceived behaviour model for waste prevention, an extensive analysis of personal and social influences was conducted to understand the involvement of individuals in waste prevention policies. Overall, this study aimed to explain how waste prevention behaviour is initiated and persisted by individuals.
Firstly, in order to expand the understanding of the conceptual model for waste prevention behaviour (WPB), a household survey assessment was applied in two different cities (Sao Paulo and Sheffield) that differ in socio-demographic characteristics, specific social norms and situational factors regarding waste prevention activities. The purpose was to establish whether there was any further underlying structure to the behaviour in view of the impossibility to determine their influence on the previous study.
Since WPB depends on various factors since individuals hold diverse needs and priorities. There will be always some uncertainty that it is not possible to account for. Thus, with the intention to comprehend waste prevention policy effectiveness, it was necessary to replicate the individuals' behaviour in a determined system based on the local situation. In other words, a simulation was designed to test out possible policy interventions and other events in future scenarios based on a virtual society of autonomous agents that behave according to the conceptual model for WPB.
For the most part, the model's hypotheses, defined with reference to the theory, were supported. Thus, it can be stated that higher standards of waste prevention involvement can be found with household's members possessing strong perceived behaviour control (PBC) and personal norms. That is, those who attach less importance to the obstacles to participating, or those who are more aware of the importance of their own individual contribution, are the more likely to behave appropriately toward solid waste reduction. This suggests that a successful way to maximise participation in prevention programs should foster a sense of moral obligation to reducing solid waste. Thus, as policy strategy, the local government should enforce the importance of waste prevention within the population in order to enhance participation in future waste prevention programs.
In addition, the results proved the absence of a significant positive direct relationship between subjective norms and WPB, as suggested by the conceptual model. The results show that individuals might not consider the opinion of family, peers and society as a pressure to engage in WPB, supporting the premise that subjective norms have only an indirect effect on the behaviour. Thus, individuals may tend to internalise the pressure from peers, family and friends as their own personal norms. Considering that most previous studies indicated that subjective norms are an important factor in order to engage individuals with the behaviour; waste prevention, in contrast to recycling, provides significantly less opportunity for social pressure to be exerted since it is carried out in the privacy of the individual's house. These results underline the importance of subjective norms in explaining WPB; it interacts with personal norms to influence behaviour rather than directly.
Based on this study's results, it is possible to conclude that the option of promoting waste prevention through PBC should be an important aim in the communication strategy. The marketing strategy for solid waste management programs in Sheffield and Sao Paulo has relied too much on the traditional means of mass communication, such as TV, radio, billboards, magazines, and newspapers. But for decreasing the individuals' barriers about the perception behaviour difficulties (PBC), a direct marketing approach, from a business-to-consumer perspective, seems of particular interest in case of waste prevention. In summary, clear instructions on how to reduce solid waste should be provided without overwhelming citisens and should emphasise that waste prevention is an economic alternative and does not have to be inconvenient to them.
The models also supported the influence of personal norms on the WPB. This suggests that a successful way to maximise participation in prevention programs should foster a sense of moral obligation to reduce solid waste. Thus, as policy strategy, the local government should enforce the importance of waste prevention within the population in order to enhance participation in future waste prevention programmes.
The results provide more specific information about the underlying structure of WPB. And consequently, to develop a better critical and scientific comprehension of the role and impact of demand side measures on individuals' behaviour. Additionally, this study provides the much-need justification to make the municipal authorities, not only in the United Kingdom and in Brazil, but also any other developed and developing country, to apply waste prevention policies as their most important input to reduce environmental impacts from solid waste increasing generation.
Understanding the nature of human behaviour can provide stakeholders with important insights into how to structure the information and tools in an appropriate way such as to encourage waste prevention behaviour. Of course, waste management policies that include behavioural change strategies demand more time and resources to implement and manage. However, any additional effort could be recouped from enhancements in the quality and reduction of wastes produced.
Finally, this study offer a critical review to the state of the art on this scientific field discussing minimum standards for waste prevention regulations not only along the production, consumption, post-consumption and disposal processes but also within the development of public policy interventions.