Green waste collection and the public's recycling behaviour in the borough of Wyre, England

It is clear that achieving the statutory targets for recycling will be a considerable challenge for local authorities, who are increasingly involved in schemes to collect and recycle biodegradable municipal waste. However, there has been little published evaluation of the perceived effectiveness and public attitudes towards such schemes, and this is significant given that recycling schemes are currently heavily dependent upon the voluntary behaviour of the public. This research has begun the task of evaluating the public's perception of a local authority recycling scheme by performing a social survey (using a postal questionnaire) to provide a snapshot of the public's views of a newly developed Green Waste Collection Scheme in Wyre, England, and other recycling activities. The social survey results demonstrate that the scheme has been very successful in terms of generating participation and public satisfaction with its operation, but that considerably more could still be done to improve the public's involvement and consequently, the Borough's recycling rate. Further research is required to identify more clearly the public's reasons for non-participation in local authority recycling schemes and to identify mechanisms for the maintenance and improvement of participation rates