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Social psychology and the stimulation of recycling behaviors: The block leader approach (1991)
| Venue: | Journal of Applied Social Psychology |
| Citations: | 26 - 0 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Burn91socialpsychology,
author = {Shawn M. Burn},
title = {Social psychology and the stimulation of recycling behaviors: The block leader approach},
journal = {Journal of Applied Social Psychology},
year = {1991},
pages = {611--629}
}
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Abstract
Recycling has been touted as an important part of the solution to solid waste problems, yet most citizens still do not recycle, even when recycling is made easy by curbside pickups. This field experiment was designed to increase participation in a city-sponsored curbside recycling program. Citizens who consistently recycled with the city program were approached and asked to be "recycling block leaders. " Those who agreed were instructed to give approximately 10 nonrecycling neighbors a persuasive communication advocating recycling and special recycling bags. A second treatment group (of nonrecycling households) had bags and the communication left at their door. Results indicated that the curbside recycling of the two experimental groups differed significantly from one another (with the block leader group recycling more), and both differed significantly from a control group receiving no treatment. A discussion of past recycling intervention research and its feasibility for community application is included. The recycling of newspapers, cans, and glass was once commonplace in the United States but following World War II, our access to resources seemed unlimited, and many of the systems designed for recycling were dismantled (Schall, 1989). Recycling made a brief comeback during the 1970s following Earth Day but was a only minimal part of waste disposal since resource problems were not yet severe and the cost of landfill disposal was still low, if not free. In addition, recycling at this time was largely the result of concerned environmentalists, not community officials. However, the realities of waste disposal in the eighties have brought about a renewed interest in recycling, this time with the blessing of federal and local officials. For local governments, the incentive to recycle is largely an economic one due to increased landfill disposal costs from expensive environmental safeguards (necessary due to the contamination of water from landfill seepage), new landfill siting problems due to citizen resistance, and high costs due to private ownership of landfills. Today communities commonly pay $100/ton or more to dispose of trash and solid waste disposal makes up the third largest percentage of a local community's budget (Schall, 1989).
Keyphrases
block leader approach social psychology waste disposal nonrecycling neighbor concerned environmentalist landfill disposal persuasive communication community application intervention research experimental group brief comeback landfill disposal cost curbside pickup second treatment group expensive environmental safeguard solid waste disposal block leader group block leader local government landfill seepage city-sponsored curbside field experiment resource problem waste problem special recycling bag new landfill local official today community world war ii important part $100 ton earth day community official curbside recycling minimal part united state private ownership local community high cost city program control group
