Household waste professionals must work on sorting at home

recycling in Pensacola

Increasing the recycling rate of household waste is possible. A recent study entitled “Waste does not exist – the relationship of individuals to household waste and sorting in light of the social sciences” aims to better understand how the multiple incentives to sort are perceived.

Why looking into our relationship to sorting

There are gaps between the discourses, the representations and the reality of behaviors. The discourse that we hear about recycling is very collective and oriented towards the environment. However, it appeals to the conscience of each person, which is always very difficult. There is no waste that is only waste: these are first of all objects, whose essential characteristic is that they must be removed from our lives. An apple peel can be considered waste, or as having a value for composting, for example.

Why do we decide to grant waste status to certain objects

Waste may no longer have a place in our lives, at the present moment or in the future: it may be leftovers, excess things, or traces of the past (we do not want to keep our student chair, for example).

Secondly, waste may be excess in the home: if we have a cellar in which we store our empty bottles, they have a place. Without storage space, they become waste. Then, this storage of waste is done for the shortest possible time: the trash can is a transit place.

Waste that is intended to be recycled, such as glass, can nevertheless be stored for a very long time. It is then the notion of dirt that comes into play: a non-smoker cannot stand cigarette butts, for example. These hygiene standards are extremely relative depending on the individual.

What typology of individuals can be carried out in relation to sorting

There are three types of individuals when it comes to sorting.

  • :The “convinced” look for all possible ways to reuse an object. They have great environmental expertise and are very proselytizing.
  • The “recalcitrant” to sorting are only interested in themselves, and above all do not want to handle waste. They close the bin as quickly as possible, or even add antibacterial sprays! To hide from it, they look for escape routes by systematically disqualifying sorting.
  • The “conformists” (the majority of the population), who sort under social pressure. They look for shortcuts to simplify their lives. They try to have very simple principles for sorting, but make a lot of mistakes. They sort according to the comfort of sorting. For example, they choose not to sort wet waste, but to systematically sort a plastic bottle… to reach a level of sorting that seems acceptable to them. The reputational issue can play a role: if the bin is refused due to not sorting correctly, this has serious consequences.

What obstacles are there to recycling

There are different languages when it comes to recycling waste.

Individuals call “bottles” what manufacturers call “hollow bodies”, cardboard boxes being “flat bodies”, etc. People are often informed in a language that is not their own. The rules also vary depending on the location, and the benchmarks are vague (the color codes change depending on the city).

There are no benchmarks that are easy to remember. The “conformists” therefore remain in their state and the level of sorting of their waste does not progress. However, it is really in their homes that there is room for improvement. We also need to help people to be active in recycling: compressing cardboard boxes properly, knowing how to store recyclable waste, etc. The question of technical tools also arises: with a compactor, this process is simpler.

How can the issue of reuse be presented to the general public

Waste can be reused: it can have a new use, carried out directly or by a third party.

In the street, a piece of furniture can be reused. But compacting plastic bottles also makes the individual the first link in the recovery chain. By breaking the glass yourself in a dedicated container, you contribute to the recycling chain.

For glass and paper, the transformation of these materials is integrated, but not approached from the perspective of value (paper is worth money). In the long term, waste will have to be purchased – today, the system is not visible to individuals.

They would be more inclined to sort differently. Recyclers must also come out of their isolation. If they really want to take action, they must help the general public to sort better. We must move from communication to the functional phase in daily life, even thinking about the design of apartments to store and sort better. The land of the house is totally underestimated, because managing your waste means managing the space available at home.

Increasing the recycling rate of household waste is possible. A recent study entitled “Waste does not exist – the relationship of individuals to household waste and sorting in light of the social sciences” aims to better understand how the multiple incentives to sort are perceived. Why looking into our relationship to sorting There are gaps…