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Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior Term Paper | Environment and Wellness By Saurav Gupta 13HS60006 IIT Kharagpur
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Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental

Behavior Term Paper | Environment and Wellness

By

Saurav Gupta 13HS60006

IIT Kharagpur

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

Page 2

Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4

1.1. Waste Problem of India ............................................................................................................ 4

1.2. Types of Waste ........................................................................................................................ 4

1.3. Waste Management Sector in India .......................................................................................... 6

1.4. Issues and Challenges............................................................................................................... 6

2. Need for Behavior Change ............................................................................................................... 9

3. Factors Influencing Behavior ......................................................................................................... 11

3.1. Motivational Factors .............................................................................................................. 11

3.2. Contextual Factors ................................................................................................................. 11

3.3. Habitual Behavior .................................................................................................................. 12

4. Strategies of Changing Behavior .................................................................................................... 14

4.1. Informational Strategies ......................................................................................................... 14

4.2. Structural Strategies ............................................................................................................... 15

5. Evaluation of Behavior Change ...................................................................................................... 17

6. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 18

References............................................................................................................................................. 19

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Abstract

Waste management and recycling in India is increasingly becoming a major problem. With the

nation generating 750,000 tons of waste every week – the equivalent of two Empire State

Buildings – the environmental and health implications of landfills are colossal. Recycling is one

means of ensuring that the materials we've finished using get returned to the resources pool,

helps to conserve raw materials and often helps to save on additional energy that manufacturers

would otherwise use in producing new products from scratch and also reduces the amount of

material going into landfills. This paper aims at discussing the current situations of waste

management in India, issues and challenges, need for behavior change in people, factors

influencing behavior, methods of changing behavior and evaluating results.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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1. Introduction

Recycling is a process to change materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of

potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy

usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by

reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as

compared to plastic production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction

and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy.

Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and

electronics. Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up

from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for

manufacturing. i

1.1. Waste Problem of India

Waste management is a major problem in India. Faced with rapid population growth,

disorganization of city governments, a lack of public awareness and limited funding for

programs, cities have struggled for years to find a way to responsibly manage the country’s

ever-increasing amount of trash.

The Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization (CPHEEO) has

estimated that waste generation in India could be as much as 1.3 pounds per person per day.

That figure is relatively low, compared to the 4.6 pounds of waste generated per person per

day in the U.S. However, as of July 2009, the U.S. population was close to 307 million,

whereas India’s population was nearly four times greater, at 1.2 billion.

These statistics mean that India could be generating as much as 27 million more tons of

waste than the U.S. per year, although it has only one-third the land space when it comes to

find suitable locations for final disposal.

India’s rapid population growth only magnifies the problem. The urban population has grown

at a rate of more than 20 percent each year since 1980 and is projected to reach a rate of more

than 30 percent by 2015.ii

Many argue that the country’s poorly organized waste management scheme will continue to

result in serious health problems and irreversible damage to the environment. Most people

agree that the government, industry and citizens need to work together to make major

improvements.

1.2. Types of Waste

Waste Management market generally comprises of four types of waste: Municipal Waste,

Industrial Waste, Bio-Medical Waste and Electronic Waste.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Municipal Waste

Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage (US), refuse or rubbish

(UK) is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public.iii

Waste quantities, in India, are increasing and municipal authorities are not able to upgrade or

scale up the facilities required for proper management of such wastes. In many cities and

towns, garbage is littered on roads and foot-paths. Citizens are also not accustomed to use the

available storage facilities (dust bins) set up by the authorities. At large, lack of organized

system of house-to-house collection of waste has created the littering habits.

As per report (May 2000) of Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), 1,00,000 MT of

Municipal Solid Waste was generated daily in the country. During the year 2004-05, Central

Pollution Control Board (CPCB) through National Environmental Engineering Research

Institute (NEERI), Nagpur conducted survey in 59 cities (35 Metro cities and 24 State

Capitals) and estimated 39,031Tons per day MSW generation in these 59 cities/towns.iv

Industrial Waste

Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills

and mines.v

Rapid industrialization has resulted in the generation of huge quantity of wastes, both solid

and liquid, in industrial sectors such as sugar, pulp and paper, fruit and food processing, sago

/ starch, distilleries, dairies, tanneries, slaughterhouses, poultries, etc. Despite requirements

for pollution control measures, these wastes are generally dumped on land or discharged into

water bodies, without adequate treatment, and thus become a large source of environmental

pollution and health hazard. According to a recent data from MNRE, there exists a potential

of about 1300MW from industrial wastes.vi

Bio-Medical Waste

BioMedical Waste, (BMW), consists of solids, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste that are

potentially infectious or dangerous and are considered biowaste.vii

The proper management of biomedical waste has become a worldwide humanitarian topic

today. Hazards of poor management of biomedical waste have aroused the concern world

over, especially in the light of its far-reaching effects on human, health and the environment.

World Health Organization states that 85% of hospital wastes are actually non-hazardous,

whereas 10% are infectious and 5% are non-infectious but they are included in hazardous

wastes. About 15% to 35% of Hospital waste is regulated as infectious waste.viii

Electronic Waste

Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Electronic-disposal, waste electrical and electronic

equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices.ix

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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The Indian city of Bangalore produces some 20,000 tonnes of e-waste per year, according to

a report by Assocham, the Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India. This

figure is rising at a rate of 20% per year and the report's authors forecast the amount of

computer waste across the country could increase by nearly 500% by 2020.x

1.3. Waste Management Sector in India

In India, the informal sector carries out a significant proportion of recycling activity in solid

waste management (SWM). Researchers estimate that about 1% of the urban population in

India is active in the informal recycling sector.

The informal waste sector is socially stratified in a pyramid with scrap collectors (waste

pickers and itinerant waste buyers) at the bottom and re-processors at the top. Various actors

such as retailers, stockists and wholesalers occupy the strata in between. The majority of

retailers are former waste pickers who have managed to assemble some capital and to take up

another activity.

Scrap collection is the first stage in the recycling sector and is undertaken by two categories

of workers: waste pickers and itinerant buyers. Waste pickers retrieve paper, plastic, metal

and glass scrap from garbage bins or receptacles provided by municipalities for the disposal

of garbage on the street, and from landfill sites where collected garbage is transported and

dumped. They rudimentarily sort and then sell the collected scrap commodities to retail scrap

establishments by weight or unit. Itinerant buyers purchase small quantities of scrap from

households, offices, shops and other small commercial establishments.

The retail traders form the top stratum of the scrap trade and are most often located in slums

with significant populations of scrap collectors. They have a direct relationship with the scrap

collectors from whom they purchase scrap.

Processing and reprocessing industries that source scrap usually exist in both the informal

and the formal economy. Plastics and electronic waste are typically processed in the informal

sector while paper, cardboard, metals and glass are handled by the formal sector.

There are currently 24 officially recognized waste picker organizations in India, with various

levels of contractual and non-contractual relations to the formal authorities. They are formed

as cooperatives or associations and are integrated in local source segregation schemes at

different levels.

1.4. Issues and Challenges

Major issues and challenges in waste management systems are:

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Lack of awareness

Figure 1

Data of Figure 1 shows, 100% of the total respondents has more or less idea about waste.

However, 20% does not have idea about hazards of solid wastes such as offensive odor,

health problem, aesthetic problem, etc. Only near about 20% people are aware about the

NGO’s participation regarding public health and only 24% people are aware of the

government rules/policies regarding waste management and recycling.

Lack of collection and segregation at source

Waste segregation means dividing waste into dry and wet. Dry waste includes wood and

related products, metals and glass. Wet waste, typically refers to organic waste usually

generated by eating establishments and are heavy in weight due to dampness. Waste can also

be segregated on basis of biodegradable or non-biodegradable waste.

The waste characterization showed that municipal solid wastes typically contain 51 % of

organic waste, 17% recyclables, 11% hazardous and 21% inert. Unsegregated waste

collection and transportation leads to dumping in open, which generates leachate and gaseous

emissions besides causing nuisance in the surrounding environment. Leachate contaminates

the groundwater as well as surface water in the vicinity: gaseous emissions contribute to

global warming.xi

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Aware of Waste Management/Recycling?

Aware of Solid Waste Hazards?

Read and share about recycling on web/social media?

Aware of which NGO/Govt bodies work in Waste Management?

Aware of government rules/polies regarding waste management?

No Yes

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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India becoming ground for e-waste

India is gradually becoming a dumping ground for electronic waste (e-waste). According to

data accessed by Teri, the average life span of a PC has come down from 4.5 years in 1992 to

two years in 2006. In India, the figure is said to be about three years. Over 30 per cent of PCs

become obsolete every year. The volume of obsolete PCs, which is just a part of e-waste, can

be gauged if one takes into consideration large organizations like TCS, Infosys Technologies

and Wipro, which employ over 50,000 employees each. Toxics Link, a Delhi-based non-

governmental organization, claims India annually generates $1.5 billion worth of e-waste.

Scarcity of land

Trash and garbage is a common sight in urban and rural areas of India. It is a major source of

pollution. Indian cities alone generate more than 100 million tons of solid waste a year. Street

corners are piled with trash. Public places and sidewalks are despoiled with filth and litter,

rivers and canals act as garbage dumps. In part, India's garbage crisis is from rising

consumption. India's waste problem also points to a stunning failure of governance.xii

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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2. Need for Behavior Change

Individual behaviors can have measurable and significant environmental impacts. Building

effective programs that increase the level of environmentally responsible behaviors, such as

recycling can be an important part of creating positive environmental change. The goal is to

reduce resource use, maximize resource reuse and increase the percentage of waste recycled.

‘Rethink Rubbish Western Riverside’, a five year public waste awareness campaign

conducted quantitative surveys and researches in order to explore in greater depth

understanding of attitudes and behavior particular to recycling. The findings showed there is

a commonality that people consider recycling a ‘good thing’ to do, express a desire to

participate, but do not always act accordingly; that many have ‘time and space constraints’,

feel their actions would have little effect, or just that they don’t have convenient facilities.xiii

Figure 2

100%

0%

Are you aware of Waste

Management/Recycling?

Yes

No

36%

64%

Do you actively

participate in Recycling?

Yes

No

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Figure 3

A survey was conducted on social media to find the change in behavior responses. Figure 2

and Figure 3 clearly states the gap between the awareness of people (100%) and their active

participation in recycling (36%). Even though 96% people find dustbin near their household,

88% people still find garbage dumped around their neighborhood or city. This is evident of

lacking motivation among the individuals and society to take efforts to dump their garbage

properly in the dustbin.

96%

4%

Is there a dustbin present

near your household?

Yes

No

88%

12%

Do you find waste dumped

around your

neighbourhood or city?

Yes

No

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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3. Factors Influencing Behavior

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions generally increases when they are aimed at

important antecedents of the relevant behavior and at removing barriers for change.

Therefore, it is important to understand which factors promote or inhibit environmental

behavior. Factors underlying environmental behavior have been studied from different

theoretical perspectives. In Section 3.1, we first elaborate on three lines of research that focus

on individual motivations to engage in environmental behavior, respectively: perceived cost

and benefits, moral and normative concerns, and affect. We indicate how these different

perspectives may be integrated into a coherent framework. Next, we identify two

shortcomings of these research lines. First, they do not pay due attention to contextual

factors. We propose ways to consider such factors more systematically in Section 3.2.

Second, they imply the assumption that people make reasoned choices. In Section 3.3, we

discuss recent studies that indicate that in many cases people act habitually.

3.1. Motivational Factors

Various studies on environmental behavior started from the assumption that individuals make

reasoned choices and choose alternatives with highest benefits against lowest costs (e.g., in

terms of money, effort and/or social approval).

A wide range of studies focused on the role of moral and normative concerns underlying

environmental behavior from different theoretical perspectives. First, scholars have examined

the value-basis of environmental beliefs and behavior. Second, studies focused on the role of

environmental concern. A third line of research focuses on moral obligations to act pro-

environmentally. A fourth line of research focused on the influence of social norms on

behavior.

Some studies have explicitly examined the role of affect in explaining environmental

behavior, mostly in relation to car use. This theory proposes that the use of material goods

fulfils three functions: instrumental, symbolic, and affective. Car use is most strongly related

to symbolic and affective motives, while instrumental motives are less important.

The three theoretical perspectives are not mutually exclusive. Various scholars have

integrated concepts and variables from different theoretical frameworks, showing that

behavior results from multiple motivations.

3.2. Contextual Factors

The theories and perspectives discussed above focus on individual motivations influencing

environmental behavior. Obviously, human behavior does not depend on motivations alone.

Many contextual factors may facilitate or constrain environmental behavior and influence

individual motivations. For example, the availability of recycling facilities, the quality of

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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public transport, the market supply of goods, or pricing regimes can strongly affect people’s

engagement in pro-environmental behavior. So, it is not only important to consider intra-

personal factors such as attitudes, norms and habits, but also contextual factors such as

physical infrastructure, technical facilities, the availability of products, and product

characteristics.

Contextual factors may operate in four different ways. First, they may directly affect

behavior. For example, one cannot travel by bus when no bus service is available, while a

free bus ticket may result in an increase in bus ridership. Second, the relationship between

contextual factors and behavior may be mediated by motivational factors such as attitudes,

affect, or personal norms. For example, the introduction of recycling facilities may result in

more positive attitudes towards recycling (e.g., because it is more convenient), and positive

attitudes may in turn result in higher recycling levels. Third, contextual factors may moderate

the relationship between motivational factors and behavior, and the effects of contextual

factors on behavior may depend on personal factors. For example, environmental concern

may only result in reductions in car use when feasible alternatives are available, and

recycling facilities may promote recycling only among those high in environmental concern.

Fourth, and related to the third point, following goal-framing theory, it may well be that

contextual factors determine which type of motivations (and thus which goal-frame) most

strongly affects behavior. For example, normative goals may be strongly related to frequency

of recycling when facilities are available, while gain or hedonic goals may be prominent if

recycling facilities are poor.

Given the significance of contextual factors for environmental behavior, studies are needed

about the role of contextual factors vis-à-vis motivational factors, following our suggestions

above.

3.3. Habitual Behavior

The theoretical frameworks discussed in Section 3.1 largely imply that individuals make

reasoned choices. However, in many cases, behavior is habitual and guided by automated

cognitive processes, rather than being preceded by elaborate reasoning.

As research suggests there are three important characteristics of habits. First, habits require a

goal to be achieved. Second, the same course of action is likely to be repeated when

outcomes are generally satisfactory. Third, habitual responses are mediated by mental

processes. When people frequently act in the same way in a particular situation, that situation

will be mentally associated with the relevant goal-directed behavior. The more frequently

this occurs, the stronger and more accessible the association becomes, and the more likely it

is that an individual acts accordingly. Thus, habitual behavior is triggered by a cognitive

structure that is learned, stored in, and retrieved from memory when individuals perceive a

particular situation.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Habitual behavior may involve misperceptions and selective attention: people tend to focus

on information that confirms their choices, and neglect information that is not in line with

their habitual behavior.

In order to design effective interventions to modify habitual environmental behavior, it is

important to consider how habits are formed, reinforced and sustained.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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4. Strategies of Changing Behavior

When the environmental behavior has been selected and its causal factors identified,

intervention strategies can be targeted on the relevant factors. For example, when behavior is

strongly related to attitudes, one can try to promote attitude changes towards particular pro-

environmental behavior. When contextual factors inhibit particular behaviors, one can try to

remove those barriers.

Various strategies for behavior change have been identified, each focusing on a different set

of behavioral determinants. A distinction has been made between antecedent and

consequence strategies. Antecedent strategies are aimed at changing factors that precede

behavior. They may raise problem awareness, inform about choice options, and announce the

likelihood of positive or negative consequences. Examples are information and education,

prompting, modeling, behavioral commitments, and environmental design. Consequence

strategies are aimed at changing the consequences following behavior. Examples are

feedback, rewards, and penalties.

Another, related, distinction is that between informational strategies – aimed at changing

prevalent motivations, perceptions, cognitions and norms – and structural strategies, aimed at

changing the circumstances under which behavioral choices are made. Below, we briefly

discuss informational and structural strategies.

4.1. Informational Strategies

We define informational strategies as being aimed at changing perceptions, motivations,

knowledge, and norms, without actually changing the external context in which choices are

made. Informational strategies target the motivational factors discussed in Section 3.1.

First, informational strategies can be aimed to increase actors’ knowledge so as to heighten

their awareness of environmental problems and of the environmental impacts of their

behavior, and/or to increase their knowledge of behavioral alternatives and their pros and

cons. It is assumed that new knowledge results in changes in attitudes, which in turn will

affect behavior.

Second, persuasion may be aimed at, for example, influencing actors’ attitudes, strengthening

their altruistic and ecological values, and/or strengthening their commitment to act pro-

environmentally. Commitment strategies appeared to be successful in encouraging pro-

environmental behavior. Here, people are not only asked whether they intend to change their

behavior, but also to indicate how they plan to do so, that is, to furnish an implementation

intention.

Third, social support and role models can be provided to strengthen social norms, and to

inform actors about the perceptions, efficacy and behavior of others. Modeling and providing

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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information about the behavior of others appeared to be successful in supporting pro-

environmental behavior.

Informational strategies in themselves are especially effective when pro-environmental

behavior is relatively convenient and not very costly (in terms of money, time, effort and/or

social disapproval), and when individuals do not face severe external constraints on behavior.

4.2. Structural Strategies

When acting pro-environmentally is rather costly or difficult because of external barriers to

pro-environmental actions, changes in the circumstances under which behavioral choices are

made may be needed so as to increase individual opportunities to act pro-environmentally

and to make pro-environmental behavior choices relatively more attractive. Structural

strategies are aimed at changing contextual factors such as the availability and the actual

costs and benefits of behavioral alternatives. They may indirectly affect perceptions and

motivational factors as well (e.g., attitudes towards organic food may become more favorable

when prices decrease).

The costs and benefits of behavioral alternatives may be changed in various ways. First, the

availability and quality of products and services may be altered via changes in physical,

technical, and/or organizational systems. Environmentally harmful behavioral options can be

made less feasible or even impossible (e.g., closing off town centers for motorized traffic), or

new and/or better-quality (pro-environmental) behavior options may be provided (e.g.,

recycling bins, organic products, environment friendly technology). Second, legal regulations

can be implemented (e.g., prohibiting the use of harmful propellants in spray cans). Legal

measures of course require that the relevant laws and regulations are enforced, and that

violations are met with some type of punishment. Third, pricing policies are aimed at

decreasing prices of pro-environmental behavior and/or increasing prices of less

environment-friendly alternatives.

Structural strategies either aim to reward ‘‘good’’ behavior, or punish ‘‘bad’’ behavior.

Rewards are more effective in encouraging pro-environmental actions than are sanctions,

because rewards are associated with positive affect and attitudes that support behavioral

changes. However, when rewards are strong, people can attribute their behavior change to the

reward and not to their personal convictions. As a result, rewards tend to have short-term

effects only, for as long as the reward is in place. Moreover, rewards will be effective only if

they are successful in making pro-environmental behavior more attractive than

environmentally harmful options, in activating goals to change behavior, and in facilitating

the implementation of such goals. Future research should explore under which conditions

rewards and/or penalties are effective, or when a combination of rewards and penalties is

warranted.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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Obviously, which strategy will be most effective in encouraging pro-environmental behavior

depends on the specific barriers that inhibit individuals to act pro-environmentally. In some

cases infrastructural measures may be needed (e.g., developing a railway line to reduce car

use), while in other cases financial measures (e.g., subsidies on home insulation) or legal

measures (e.g., fines for speed offenders) may be more effective. In general, a combination

of strategies for behavior change will be most successful, as there are often more than one

barrier to any pro-environmental behavior, informational as well as contextual ones. In

addition, as different groups may have different reasons for their behavior, strategies may

best be tailored to the motivations, capacities and circumstances of different target groups.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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5. Evaluation of Behavior Change

For researchers and policy-makers alike, it is important to systematically evaluate the effects

of interventions. So far, most evaluation studies were focused on informational strategies,

while the workings and effectiveness of structural strategies have been studied far less.

Studies aimed at evaluating an intervention’s effectiveness should follow solid experimental

research designs that reveal the effectiveness of single as well as combinations of

interventions for one or more ‘treatment’ groups and a comparable control group. As an

intervention may have only short-lived effects, it is important to also study its long-term

effects as well. Effects measurements should not only focus on (changes in) environmental

behaviors. First, it is important to monitor (changes in) behavioral determinants as this

increases our understanding of why intervention programs were successful or not. Second, it

is important to monitor (changes in) environmental impact, since this is the ultimate goal of

behavioral interventions in the environmental domain. Third, one would need to know

changes in people’s quality of life, which is an important component of the more general

notion of sustainable development. As yet, most studies examined expected changes in

quality of life, while actual changes resulting from environmental policies or conditions have

hardly been monitored over time. Expected changes may differ from actual changes in

perceived quality of life.

Evaluation studies following experimental designs are generally costly and time-consuming.

This may not always be possible. However, systematic evaluations not only reveal to what

extent an intervention has been successful in changing behavior and reducing environmental

impact, but also why it was (un)successful, and how an intervention might be adapted to

increase its effectiveness. Such evaluations are highly valuable from a practical point of

view. They may inform change agents about the need to refine or replace a particular

behavior change intervention. Moreover, they enable change agents to provide feedback to

the target population so as to inform them about the effectiveness of their efforts to improve

environmental quality. This may strengthen subjects’ commitment to change their behavior,

and to maintain the changes already implemented.

A few studies examined the extent to which perceived effectiveness and acceptability

depends on specific policy features, such as rewards versus penalties, or the type of behavior

being targeted. It appeared that policies that increase the attractiveness of pro-environmental

behavior are evaluated as more effective and acceptable than policies aimed at decreasing the

attractiveness of environmentally harmful behavior.

Perceived effectiveness and acceptability may differ from actual effects and acceptance (i.e.,

after policies have been implemented). This suggests that initial resistance does not

necessarily indicate that a policy should not be implemented. xiv

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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6. Conclusion

Environmental psychologists have an important role to play in the management of

environmental problems by the promotion of behavioral changes. Behavioral interventions

are generally more effective when they are systematically planned, implemented and

evaluated. Four key issues to be addressed are: (1) identification of the behavior to be

changed, (2) examination of the main factors underlying this behavior, (3) application of

interventions to change the relevant behaviors and their determinants, and (4) evaluation of

intervention effects on the behavior itself, its main determinants, environmental quality, and

human quality of life. Interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to effectively address these

issues, because environmental problems are not just psychological problems; they are also

ecological, technological, and socio-cultural problems.

Individuals can contribute significantly to achieving long-term environmental sustainability

by adopting pro-environmental behavior patterns. The challenge for environmental

psychologists is to understand the cognitive, motivational and structural factors and processes

that threaten environmental sustainability, so that pro-environmental behaviors could be

facilitated and emerge worldwide.

Saurav Gupta Recycling: Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behavior

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References

i Recycling, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling, Wikipedia ii Trash Planet: India, 2009, http://earth911.com/news/2009/08/03/trash-planet-india/, earth911.com iii Municipal Solid Waste, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_solid_waste, Wikipedia iv Status Report on Muncipal Solid Waste Management, Central Pollution Control Board, Page 2 v Industrial Waste, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_waste, Wikipedia vi Industrial Wastes in India, http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/wte/typ/clas/india_industrial_wastes.html, EAI vii

Biomedical Wastes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomedical_waste, Wikipedia viii

Glenn, Mc.R & Garwal, 1999, R. Clinical waste in Developing Countries. An analysis with a Case Study of India, and a Critique of the BasleTWG Guidelines ix Electronic Waste, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste, Wikipedia

x India’s E-waste Burden, 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/india-it-electronic-waste, The

Guardian xi Report of the Committee to Evolve Road Map, 2010, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Page 12 xii Landfill, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfill, Wikipedia xiii C Thomas, M Yoxon, 2004, Changing recycling behaviour: An evaluation of attitudes and behaviour to recycling in the western riverside area of London, Open Research Online xiv Linda Steg, Charles Vlek, 2008, Encouraging pro-environmental behavior: An integrative review and research Agenda, Journal of Environmental Psychology


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