Using economic benefits for recycling in a separate collection centre managed as a “reverse supermarket”: A sociological survey

• Separate collection centre (SCC) was considered a sort of “reverse supermarket”.
• Relationship between citizens and the separate collection program were investigated.
• 99.2% expressed a good or very good evaluation of the quality of the service inside the SCC.
• SCC users acted as a community as highlighted by the negative response of the Chi-square test.
• Respecting the environment was the main reason why people went to the SCC.

Separate collection centres (SCCs), where citizens can deliver recyclable fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW), in an “urban mining” perspective, can be considered a sort of “reverse supermarket”, where people can deliver their recyclables in order to either obtain a waste fee reduction or shopping vouchers. The latter is the case of Baronissi, a town of around 17,000 inhabitants in the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Italy. The principal aim of the study was to investigate by means of a sociological survey the relationship between citizens and the separate collection program, with particular emphasis on the role played by the SCC. The separate collection system was evaluated either good or very good by 95.8% of the sample, while 99.2% expressed a good or very good evaluation of the quality of the service inside the separate collection centre: SCC users acted as a community as highlighted by the negative response of the Chi-square test for independence. Respecting the environment prevailed over saving time, obtaining eco-points, or saving money as the main reason why people went to the SCC. The majority of the respondents agreed if only putrescibles and residue should be collected directly from their homes, while all the other materials should be collected exclusively at the SCC, allowing to save money for the management of the kerbside collection system with a consequent further waste fee reduction for the residents.