Predicting Recycling Behavior from Global and Specific Environmental Attitudes and Changes in Recycling Opportunities1

Abstract

Surveys of households in a medium‐sized city were conducted at three different points in time to investigate changes in general environmental concern (as measured by the New Environmental Paradigm), specific recycling attitudes (as measured by constructs of the Schwartz moral norm model), and recycling behavior that occurred as recycling opportunities increased over time. After the initial data point, a voluntary curbside recycling program was implemented in central sections of the community and then later expanded citywide. The results indicate that over time, the proportion of households indicating that they recycled increased along with the actual volume of materials recycled in the community. General environmental concern and specific attitudes regarding recycling also became more favorable over time with recyclers exhibiting stronger pro‐environmental attitudes than nonrecyclers. Specific recycling attitudes were found to be only moderately related to generalized concern for the environment. Lastly, the predictive utility of general environmental concern and specific recycling attitudes were examined.