Project Details
Academic description
Recycling is a crucial element of waste reduction and of a circular economy, promoting environmental sustainability by redirecting waste output back to the economic system and decreasing the input of new raw materials (Sehnem et al., 2019). Recycling is defined as “any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials, or substances whether for the original or other purposes” (Department for Environment, Food & Rural [DEFRA], 2021b). Recycling processes comprise a significant force in helping conserve natural resources and also reduces energy use associated with resource extraction and purification. Recycling also reduces the overall greenhouse gases and carbon emissions derived from incineration and landfilling (Sehnem et al., 2019). Despite these environmental benefits, household recycling consistently falls below governmental targets for waste management. This project seeks to explore approaches to improving recycling rates and minimise contamination of non-recyclable items within recycling waste collection. It seeks to understand how local government can use knowledge gained from such work to change policy and to directly engage in using research supported approaches to Behaviour Change in order to more effectively communicate with their constituents. Primarily this project has been designed to gain a deeper understanding of the factors which influence recycling behaviour for individuals and begin to develop an effective intervention to result in more sustainable and environmentally conscious decision making. Due to the partnership between Solent University and Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC), this project also offers a unique opportunity to explore the challenges which governmental organisations invested into facilitating behaviour change can face, within and out of their organisation. When these two foci are combined, this project enables a critical appraisal of evidence lead policy decision making, combining evidence from the development of a behavioural intervention, and a thorough understanding of ways in which aspects within organisational structures can be mobilised to support new initiatives.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 1/04/22 → 31/07/22 |
Funding
- Solent University
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.