Conceptualising and analysing household attitudes and actions to a growing environmental problem

Publication of the Government's Waste Strategy in June 2000 [Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). (2000). Waste Strategy 2000. London: The Stationary Office] highlighted the importance of gaining public involvement in managing household waste in more sustainable ways. However, practically implementing waste policy at this micro-level requires a greater appreciation of the factors that influence individual behaviour patterns. This paper begins by outlining the concepts and variables involved in predicting individual waste management behaviour and a conceptual framework is illustrated, based on the Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action [Fishbein, M., and Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA] for organising the large number of motivations and barriers involved in promoting individual waste management behaviour. The utilisation of the framework in an applied context is demonstrated with a case study of waste management in Exeter, Devon, where a large number of practical policy recommendations were derived from an analysis of the determining factors of waste management behaviour.