”Recycling should be easy!” Factors affecting waste sorting in households

Abstract

Waste sorting is one of the mundane everyday chores of many consumers and households. At the same time, waste sorting is gaining more and more attention in Finland, Europe and worldwide. Waste sorting in households and factors that affect it are the focal points of this study. I collected my research data with electronic questionnaire that included multiple open questions. According to the results, factors mostly affecting waste sorting in households are the degree of easiness, such as proper containers and enough space at home, suitable distance to the waste collection points as well as the number of public waste collection points. Additionally, information about waste sorting is relevant; waste sorting is often perceived as difficult due to lack of knowledge or ambiguity of information. Motivational factors, on the other hand, include moral norms and general concerns about the environment. The results show that there are several reasons why people start to sort waste. This research gives more information about the nature of waste sorting from the viewpoint of the consumer. The results suggest that the targeted recycling level is unreachable if the views of consumers and households are not considered.