A household solid waste recycling programme in Stellenbosch : householders' attitudes and willingness to participate

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Municipal waste presents problems of pollution, health hazards and resource conservation.Household waste forms part of municipal solid waste that is a challenge to control due to itsheterogeneity and diversity. The ever-filling landfills for the disposal of solid waste due to rapidpopulation increase and urbanization call for urgent waste management strategies to reduce, reuseand recycle solid waste. In this study householders' attitudes, participation in recycling andwillingness to participate in household solid waste recycling are investigated to design andimplement a household solid waste recycling programme in Stellenbosch. Questionnaire surveydata about the awareness of, attitudes towards, and participation in household waste recycling wereanalyzed using descriptive statistical methods in the STATISTICA V6 program. Results weredisplayed in frequency tables, bar charts, maps and pie charts. The same statistical program wasused to fmd the relationship between the householders' willingness to participate in the householdsolid waste recycling programme, namely the Blue Bag Household Waste Recovery Programme(BBHWRP), and their socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The respondents'willingness to sort household waste is compared to their willingness to participate in the BBHWRPin Stellenbosch. The willingness of householders in different residential areas is also compared.The relationships were analyzed by performing cross-tabulations and the chi-square test.The householder's attitudes towards household solid waste recycling were found to be positive,showing pro-recycling and pro-environmental behaviour among the respondents. Participation inrecycling was found to be relatively moderate where separation of waste, self-delivery of recyclablesto recycling buy-back centres and depots were commonly practised. Composting was least reported tobe practised by householders in Stellenbosch. Respondents showed strong willingness to participate inthe BBHWRP, however, most of the explanatory factors used, including place of residence, did notrelate to respondents' willingness to participate in the BBHWRP. Despite this situation, smallerfamilies and respondents' willingness to sort household waste at home by householders were found torelate directly to willingness to take part in the BBHWRP. There were, however, poor response ratesin the study. Although reminders were used to improve response rates, only a 30 per cent responserate could be reached. It is recommended that a household solid waste sorting and recycling scheme inStellenbosch should be considered in order to minimize and recycle household waste to extend thelifespan of the town's landfill site.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University