kerbside recycling in metropolitan...

Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan MelbourneSocial Research Summary Report

mwmg.vic.gov.au sustainability.vic.gov.au

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Acknowledgements

Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Summary Report is a Victorian Government initiative. The report is a partnership project of Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group. The report is an abridged version of Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Report (2010).

Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group would like to acknowledge the following organisations for their contributions to the project.

Funding

www.australianpackagaingcovenant.org.auThe Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) is a commitment by governments and industry to the sustainable design, use and recovery of packaging. Funding and other support for the implementation of the APC is provided by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments and industry.

Research and report preparation

www.wallisgroup.com.au

Research design

The research design was informed by Barriers to Recycling at Home (2008), a study undertaken by MEL and Get it Sorted on behalf of the United Kingdom resource efficiency agency WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).

To obtain a copy of the full report please contact Sustainability Victoria at [email protected] or Metropolitan Waste Management Group at [email protected]

978-1-920825-24-9 (Paperback) 978-1-920825-25-6 (PDF)

Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Summary Report © Sustainability Victoria 2011 (December ENV058)

While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, Sustainability Victoria gives no warranty regarding its accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability for any particular purpose and to the extent permitted by law, does not accept any liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the content of this publication. This publication is provided on the basis that all persons accessing it undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.

Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Summary Report should be attributed to Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group.

Kerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Summary Report excluding the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) copyright material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. In essence, you are free to copy, distribute and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the work and abide by the other licence terms. To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/

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Contents

Tables & Charts

Executive summary ..................................................................1

Introduction ..............................................................................2

Building a picture of how Melburnians recycle .......................2

The research ............................................................................2

1. Attitudes and motivations ....................................................4

1.1 Commitment to the task ....................................................4

1.2 Concern for the environment .............................................5

1.3 Guilt ....................................................................................5

1.4 Confidence .........................................................................5

2. Recycling behaviour ............................................................8

2.1 Who’s in charge? ...............................................................8

2.2 Where (and how) we recycle ..............................................8

2.3 How convenient is it? ........................................................8

3. Recycling know-how .........................................................10

3.1 What we know .................................................................10

3.2 What we don’t know ........................................................10

3.3 How do we decide? .........................................................10

3.4 What we do when we can’t decide .................................11

3.5 What if we knew more? ...................................................11

4. What prevents Melburnians recycling more? ....................14

4.1 Dirty or clean? ..................................................................14

4.2 Difficult items: Is it recyclable or rubbish? .......................14

4.3 Problems with plastic bags .............................................14

4.4 Problems with bins ..........................................................15

4.5 Different rules, changing processes ...............................16

4.6 Lack of time and competing priorities .............................16

4.7 Recycling habits ..............................................................16

5. Sources of information.......................................................18

5.1 Word of mouth .................................................................18

5.2 Councils ...........................................................................18

5.3 Other ................................................................................18

6. What would help Melburnians recycle more? ...................20

6.1 Council incentives and warnings .....................................20

6.2 Clarity about environmental benefits ...............................20

6.3 Confidence in the recycling system ................................21

7. Culturally and linguistically diverse groups ......................24

7.1 No lack of commitment ..................................................24

7.2 Recycling know-how .......................................................24

7.3 New arrivals .....................................................................25

7.4 Getting information ..........................................................25

7.5 Larger households, bigger bins? .....................................25

7.6 Recycling decisions .........................................................26

7.7 Difficult items ...................................................................26

7.8 Plastic bags......................................................................26

7.9 Council incentives and warnings .....................................27

What prevents Melburnians recycling more? ........................29

Helping Melburnians to recycle more ....................................29

Target audiences ....................................................................29

Summary of findings ..............................................................29

Conclusion .............................................................................30

Appendix: Survey ...................................................................32

Table 1 - Levels of commitment to recycling......................................2

Table 2 - Melburnians attitude to recycling household waste ...........4

Table 3 - Importance of recycling to Melbourne households ............4

Table 4 - Level of household recycling in Melbourne .........................4

Table 5 - Rooms in the home Melburnians have recycling systems..8

Table 6 - Melburnians in-home recycling systems .............................8

Table 7 - How convenient is recycling for Melbourne households ....8

Table 8 - How Melburnians decide what can be recycled ...............10

Table 9 - Knowledge barriers to recycling right ................................11

Table 10 - Items Melburnians are uncertain about recycling ...........14

Table 11 - How Melburnians put recycling items in their bin ...........15

Table 12 - Situational barriers to recycling right ...............................15

Table 13 - Behavioural barriers to recycling correctly ......................16

Table 14 - Other information sources used for recycling services ...18

Table 15 - What would encourage Melburnians to recycle more). .....20

Table 16 - Willingness to make additional effort to recycle ................24

Table 17 - Importance of recycling ..................................................24

Table 18 - Outcomes of household recycling ...................................24

Table 19 - Respondents’ suggestions as to what would make recycling easier ................................................................25

Table 20 - How recyclers decide what can be recycled .................26

Table 21 - Throwing items in waste bin because unsure they can be recycled ......................................................................26

Table 22 - What would encourage Melburnians to recycle more ....27

Chart 1 - Commitment to recycling ....................................................4

Chart 2 - Motivations and barriers to recycling in Melbourne ..........5

Chart 3 - Melburnians confidence in the recycling system ...............5

Chart 4 - How well do Melburnians understand what can be .........10

Chart 5 - Percentage of Melburnians who put recycling in the rubbish bin when the recycling bin is full ..........................15

Chart 6 - Melburnians understanding of the environmental benefits .20

Chart 7 - Confidence of Melburnians that recycling is recycled ......21

Chart 8 - Influence of local council information on Melburnian’s recycling .......................................................21

Chart 9 - Commitment to recycling ....................................................24

Chart 10 - How well CALD groups understand what can be recycled ......................................................................25

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Executive summaryThis report presents a snapshot of how Melbourne households recycle including their commitment to recycling, what impacts their behaviour, what barriers prevent recycling and what would help households to recycle more often and more effectively.

The report is based on research commissioned by Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group in 2010. The research was undertaken by Wallis Consulting Group and involved focus groups, in-home interviews and a telephone survey with randomly selected Melbourne households.

The research found Melburnians to have a high level of commitment and enthusiasm for recycling which is strongly motivated by a concern for the environment. Melbourne has a great recycling system, with 99% of respondents believing it makes recycling convenient and only 1% indicating they recycled only sometimes.

While most Melburnians appeared to be committed to recycling, the research suggests the following barriers are preventing improved household recycling:

• Binsize–dependingonhouseholdsize,collectionfrequencyandin-homestoragecapacity,binsizecausedissues for what people put in each bin.

• Plasticbags–whetherusedasawaytocollectrecyclables or in the belief they can actually be recycled via kerbside recycling systems, plastic bags cause problems throughout the recycling process.

• Difficultitems–decidingifsomethinggoesinthekerbsiderecycling system causes confusion, for example different types of plastics, dirty items or what to do with lids.

• Recyclingconsistency–theevolutionoftherecyclingsystem has lead to different rules for many councils, resulting in varying degrees of confusion about recycling.

• Informationaccessandpreferences–manygroupsinthecommunity no longer access traditional forms of media used to convey recycling messages. Reaching these groups is required to improve know-how and address confusion.

• Habitsandbeliefs–therearelongheldbeliefssuchas recycling only being generated in the kitchen and confusion about what we do with dirty items. Breaking habits is made more difficult when we don’t know the right answers.

The research also found younger people (16-39 year olds) were less committed to recycling and may require specific information channels to understand how to recycle more effectively. In addition, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups faced challenges in improving their recycling habits due to language barriers and lack of access to mainstream media. Overcoming these barriers will help to improve the ability of these groups to fully grasp kerbside recycling.

The research indicates that householders want more guidance on recyclable items and more clarity about plastics, including plastic bags. There is a desire to improve know-how by understanding clearly what is and isn’t recyclable through the kerbside system. Householders also want a better understanding of what happens to recycling after it has been collected and to feel more confident that what is put out for recycling actually gets recycled.

Regardless of age or background, the research indicates that everyone will benefit from messages that encourage good recycling habits and decision making, so that all Melburnians can get into the habit of recycling more often and more effectively.

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IntroductionBuilding a picture of how Melburnians recycleIn 2008-09 Melbourne’s metropolitan councils sent over 700,000 tonnes of household rubbish from kerbside collection to landfill. Despite the community’s acceptance of kerbside recycling services, audits of kerbside rubbish bins have revealed that, on average, 20% of rubbish sent to landfill (approximately 140,000 tonnes) consists of packaging, paper and cardboard that could have been recycled. This is a significant amount of valuable material that is wasted, impacting on Victoria’s resource recovery and landfill diversion targets.

This social research report sets the context for developing an education program aimed at improving household recycling rates in Melbourne. The program will focus on increasing recycling rates by reducing the amount of household recycling discarded in kerbside rubbish bins.

This research will also inform future kerbside waste and recycling service planning, assist in service optimisation and complement further research in the area.

Developed by Sustainability Victoria (SV) and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group (MWMG) with funding from the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) and local governments, this program supports the Victorian Government’s commitment to meeting the packaging recovery targets set by APC and to support Sustainability in Action: Towards Zero Waste (TZW)–Victoria’s ten-year plan to reduce waste in Victoria, increase recycling and reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal.

The researchKerbside Recycling in Metropolitan Melbourne – Social Research Summary Report is an abridged version of a comprehensive research study commissioned by SV and MWMG, and undertaken by Wallis Consulting Group.

The initial phase of research included desktop research of national and international waste and recycling studies, 20 in-home interviews and six focus groups that helped to build a picture of how Melburnians recycle at home. The results of these focus groups and interviews are referenced in the following report as ‘qualitative research’.

Findings from the first phase informed the approach for the quantitative research which consisted of a telephone survey of 1000 Melbourne households selected at random (referred to as the main sample in the report). An additional 220 telephone interviews were conducted with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups selected to represent Melbourne’s key language groups from Australia’s three major historical waves of migration since the 1950s: oldest (Greek and Italian speakers); middle (Vietnamese and Chinese speakers) and recent (Sudanese and Arabic speakers). The results of the random survey and CALD interviews are referenced in the following report as ‘quantitative research’.

Telephone surveys took place between 10 June and 20 July 2010. Everyone who took part was over the age of 16, with their selection based on their access to kerbside recycling and confirmation of their role as the main person responsible for managing household waste. It is important to note that the data collected has not been weighted against population averages for metropolitan Melbourne. For this reason all findings only represent the views of the household waste managers surveyed. Also, where percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number the sum of percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

The overall research design was informed by the research model applied in the study, Barriers to Recycling at Home, by the UK’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP 2008). Of particular relevance was the WRAP study’s identification of four types of ‘barriers’ with potential to either encourage or prevent good recycling behaviour. Also relevant was WRAP’s development of a scale that classified people’s commitment to recycling: super-committed, committed, not committed and non-recycler [Table 1]. This study used a similar format with answers to three questions devising a commitment scale for Melburnians. Other factors shown to influence recycling rates, such as the language spoken at home, were also taken into account when developing the research.

Table 1 - Levels of commitment to recycling

Defined Group Question B2 Question B4a Question B5

Super-committed recycler

Recycling is very important

Recycle even if it requires additional effort

Household recycles everything that can be recycled

Committed recycler

Recycling is very important

Recycle even if it requires additional effort

Household does not recycle everything that can be

Not committed recycler

Does not state both that recycling is very important at B2 and that they recycle even if it requires more effort at Question B4a

Household does recycle (any of first three responses)

Non-recycler n/a Do not recycle at all, either at Question B4a or question B5

© WRAP UK

More information on the research methods, including the methodologies adapted from the WRAP study, details of how survey data was analysed and possible sources of survey bias, can be found in the research study’s technical report available by contacting SV or the MWMG.

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1.1 Commitment to the taskThroughout both the quantitative and qualitative research, Melburnians scored highly when tested on their attitude and commitment to recycling.

Most Melburnians were in the habit of recycling at home and almost all took advantage of weekly or fortnightly kerbside recycling collections offered by local councils. In particular, the qualitative research component failed to recruit any non-recyclers, and as stated by one participant: “It is easier to recycle than not to”. When that statement was tested during quantitative research, 79% of people agreed.

As shown in Table 2, almost nine out of ten (89%) people confirmed their willingness to make the extra effort to recycle (with those aged 50 plus more willing than younger age groups).

Table 2 - Melburnians attitude to recycling household waste

Main sample (Base: all respondents) (n=1000)

%

I recycle even if it requires additional effort 89

I only recycle if it does not require additional effort 11

I do not recycle -

Don’t know 1

(Refer appendix - survey question B4a)

A total of 77% of people surveyed considered recycling “very important” [Table 3].

Table 3 - Importance of recycling to Melbourne households


%

Very important 77

Fairly important 22

Not very important 1

Not at all important <0.5

Don't know -

(Refer appendix - survey question B2)

Chart 1 demonstrates that the scale applied during research to classify people’s commitment to recycling found 53% of Melburnians emerged as “super-committed”, 35% were classified as “committed” and 12% were “not committed”.

Chart 1 - Commitment to recycling (Base: main sample)

0%

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not-Committed

Committed

Super-committed

5+3-42160+50-5940-4930-3916-29ALL

Age of respondents Household size

12

35

53 36 48 44 53 62 66 54 48 46

39 36 41 39 27 23 34 39 41

25 16 15 8 10 12 12 12 12

(Refer appendix - survey question B2, B4a, B5)

Respondents’ level of commitment increased with age, from 36% of 16-29 year olds displaying characteristics that qualified them as “super-committed”, compared to 62% of people aged 60 plus. The proportion of people “not committed” to recycling peaked at 25% among the youngest age group of 16-29, followed by 16% of those aged 30-39 [Chart 1].

Commitmentalsodeclinedashouseholdsizesincreasedfrom 66% among single-person households to 46% among households of five persons or more [Chart 1].

Two-thirds (65%) of people surveyed reported that they recycled everything they could, with 34% indicating they recycled “a lot” [Table 4]. This trended upwards with age but downwards ashouseholdsizeincreased.Onlyonepersonwithinthemainsurvey sample of 1000 interviews said they did not recycle at all.

Table 4 - Level of household recycling in Melbourne


%

(I /We) recycle everything that can be 65

(I /We) recycle a lot but not everything 34

(I /We) recycle sometimes 1

(I /We) do not recycle at all <0.5


1. Attitudes and motivations

It is easier to recycle than not to“ ”

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1.2 Concern for the environmentThe majority of respondents during the qualitative research made the link between recycling and its potential environmental benefits, for example, saving trees by recycling paper or saving energy by recycling cans or bottles.

This was further supported during quantitative research. A total of 94% of people agreed that recycling made them “happy to be doing their bit for the environment” and, of these, 45% “strongly agreed”. That figure rose among the “super-committed” to 56% and then dropped to 24% among the “not committed”.

Although the link between recycling and improved environmental outcomes seemed well established as a motivation for their behaviour, respondents were not only less certain about what those environmental outcomes were but also unsure what happened to recyclables after kerbside collection. While people agreed that concern for the environment motivated them to recycle, they also reported that knowing more about how recycling benefits the environment would encourage them to recycle more.

1.3 GuiltRespondent’s preference to “do the right thing” by recycling, rather than feel guilty if they don’t, was another factor reflecting their commitment to recycling.

Chart 2 shows that of those householders who indicated they didn’t currently recycle everything they could, 74% agreed they felt guilty when they didn’t recycle and 77% felt not recycling would bother them.

Chart 2 - Motivations and barriers to recycling in Melbourne (Base: main sample)

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

Rules about what items can be recycled make it all too complicated

Don't have enough time to recycle properly

Recycle because the council tells me to do it

Often have other things on my mind which are more important

When I don't recycle it doesn't bother me

When I don't recycle I feel a bit guilty 3

2

21136221

5

3

1

1

55934

1

1635325

2065217

1

1556116

19 4 57 17

Guilt (Base: dont recycle everything)

Time / Difficultly

(Refer appendix - survey question E1b, E1c, E1d, E1e, E1f and E1g)

This relationship between concern and commitment to recycling was confirmed by 38% of the “not committed” who agreed that not recycling didn’t bother them, compared with just 12% agreement from the “committed”.

1.4 ConfidenceDuring qualitative research, respondents who expressed a strong commitment to recycling, including the need to recycle with care, were also the same people who expressed the greatest confidence in the recycling system, and the most knowledge about what happens to recycling after collection.

However, quantitative research revealed that despite high levels of commitment to household recycling there was a lack of trust in the kerbside recycling system. As illustrated in Chart 3 a total of 45% of people surveyed agreed they were “not always confident” that the items they put out for recycling were actually recycled.

Chart 3 - Melburnians confidence in the recycling system (Base: main sample)

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Very con�dent Not always con�dent Not con�dent Other Don’t know

How con�dent are you that the items you put out for recycling are recycled?

2

1

6 45 46

(Refer appendix - survey question E3)

The research findings clearly link attitude and commitment with people’s trust that their recycling actions will be supported by the kerbside recycling system. Building people’s confidence in the system and reassuring them that their actions do have a positive outcome is discussed later in this report where respondents agreed that increased confidence would spur them to recycle more.

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A total of 45% of people surveyed agreed they were not always confident that the items they put out for recycling were actually recycled

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2.1 Who’s in charge?With the exception of share houses, qualitative research revealed that most households had a ‘gatekeeper’ or chief recycler who took charge of recycling and advised the rest of the household what to do with difficult items. Depending on their commitment, the chief recycler might even be prepared to rummage through bins to ensure that things were done ‘correctly’.

Over half (or 61%) of household chief recyclers in the main quantitative research were women.

2.2 Where (and how) we recycleAccording to the quantitative research, when people were asked what rooms they used a container or bag to collect recycling in, the kitchen was the most selected (79%). The next most selected room was the laundry (17%) followed by the study (7%). Only 6% of people said they used a container or bag to collect recycling from the bathroom [Table 5].

Table 5 - Rooms in the home Melburnians have recycling systems

Main sample (Base: those with special containers / bags)

(n=494)

%

Kitchen 79

Laundry 17

Study / retreat 7

Bathroom / toilet 6

Lounge 4

Bedroom(s) 3

Garage / shed 3

Dining room 2

Spare room 2

Outside back door 2

Other 3

Not answered 1


Qualitative research indicated that some people took the extra step of separating paper from bottles and plastics in the home.

Qualitative research also suggested that waste collected outside of the kitchen was less likely to be sorted, even by committed recyclers, and usually ended up in the rubbish bin instead.

However, positive recycling behaviour was not necessarily connected with whether or not recycling was collected in a dedicated bin inside the home before being emptied into the kerbside bin.

As Table 6 demonstrates just as many people reported setting aside recyclable items and carrying them loose to the kerbside recycling bin outside (47%), as those who said they preferred to collect items in a dedicated recycling bin inside the house first (49%).

Table 6 - Melburnians in-home recycling systems

Main sample (Base: all respondents who recycle) (n=999)

%

Have special containers or bags in some rooms that you put recyclable items into

49

Put recyclable items aside and then just take them loose to the recycling bin

47

Put general waste and recycling into one container and then sort it out when you get to the recycling bin

2

Take it out straight away to the recycling bin 2

Have some other system 1


Dedicated bins for recycling were also more likely in bigger households than single-person households even though the latter make up the highest proportion of “super-committed” recyclers.

2.3 How convenient is it?Table 7 shows that a total of 99% of people surveyed agreed it was either “very convenient” or “fairly convenient” to recycle.

Table 7 - How convenient is recycling for Melbourne households


%

Very convenient 74

Fairly convenient 25

Not very convenient 1

Not at all convenient 0

Don't know <0.5

(Refer appendix - survey question C3)

Agreement that recycling is very convenient increased with age and declined as households got bigger. Agreement was highest among the “super-committed” (86%) and among those who said they recycled everything that they could (82%).

2. Recycling behaviour

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3.1 What we knowDuring qualitative research, Melburnians displayed a high level of understanding about what they thought could be recycled, for example, paper cardboard, glass, most rigid plastic containers, aluminium and steel cans.

This was supported during quantitative research when respondents were asked how well they understood what items can be placed in their recycling bin. More than half (61%) said “very well”, 38% said “fairly well”, only 1% saying “not very well” and less than 0.5% saying “not at all”.

Confidence seemed to increase with age. It was highest among people aged 40 and above, peaking at 66% of those aged 60 plus, who reported they understood “very well” what they could put in their kerbside recycling bin.

Chart 4 illustrates that, of the younger age groups, a higher proportion of people aged 30-39 reported that they understood “very well” what could be recycled (49%) compared with those aged 16-29 (41%). More than half (54%) of those aged 16-29 said their knowledge of what could be recycled was only understood “fairly well”.

Chart 4 - How well do Melburnians understand what can be recycled (Base: main sample)

0%

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100Very well

Fairly well

Not very well

Not at all

60+50-5940-4930-3916-29ALL

Age of responsent

61 41 49 62 62 66

38

1 5 3 1 1

54 48 38 37 32


3.2 What we don’t knowA good general understanding of recycling does not mean that people are always certain what to do with all items or how to make the correct decision when unsure.

Although 61% of people surveyed said they understood “very well” what items could be recycled, 39% said that they only understood “fairly well” [Chart 4].

While two-thirds (65%) of people surveyed reported that they recycled everything that they could, council audits of kerbside rubbish bins revealed that on average up to 20% of items in the bin could have been recycled. This suggests a gap between what people report that they know and do, and what actually happens.

Qualitative research indicated that a lack of knowledge may contribute to contamination, particularly the mistaken belief that kerbside recycling is for any item or material type that can, in principle, be recycled.

When shown a number of common household items, the items that caused the greatest amount of uncertainty among respondents were a shampoo bottle with shampoo in it, a plastic food container with a ‘triangle’ symbol on it, and items made from recyclable materials but not in recyclable form, for example, coat hangers and plastic bags.

Qualitative research confirmed most people’s awareness that many items not suitable for kerbside recycling could be re-used or recycled elsewhere (for example clothing, mobile phones, toys and batteries). However, this is not clear to everyone with questions raised about the kerbside recycling potential of old candles, a mop head and staples. This revealed respondents failure to grasp that kerbside recycling relates to packaging, paper and cardboard.

3.3 How do we decide?The main factors people consider when making decisions about recycling are shown in Table 8 with what material the item is made from and the presence of recycling symbols both considered by 49% of respondents. Plastic-type codes were considered by 19% of respondents before making their decision, even though these relate to the recyclability of an item not whether it can go into your kerbside recycling bin.

A total of 18% of respondents also turned to bin stickers for help when deciding what goes into the bin. As such, bin stickers outranked all other forms of council information people chose to consult, with only 14% saying they followed other information provided by their council [Table 8].

Table 8 - How Melburnians decide what can be recycled

Main sample (Base: Households that recycle) (n=999)

%

What material it is made from 49

Recycling symbols 49

Plastic type (number 1 to 7) 19

Bin sticker provided by council 18

Other info. provided by councils 14

Whether it says it is recyclable 10

General knowledge/common sense 2

Whether the item is dirty or smelly 2

Media information / reports 1

Don’t know 1

(Multiple response, refer appendix - survey question C3 )

3. Recycling know-how

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3.4 What we do when we can’t decideConfidence does not equate to people recycling correctly. Despite the good intentions behind recycling, a lack of knowledge about kerbside recycling and fear of getting it wrong can result in either recycling contamination or recycling being discarded in the rubbish bin.

Making the wrong recycling choices has just as much impact on recycling rates and the level of contamination as well-intended but incorrect decisions made by people who think they know what they’re doing.

Both scenarios are also equally as likely to contribute to recyclable items being put into the rubbish bin destined for landfill.

As demonstrated in Table 9, 60% of respondents who were unsure whether or not something could be recycled sometimes discarded the item in the rubbish bin, while 39% reported they sometimes put the item in the recycling bin.

Younger age groups (16-29 and 30-39) were more likely than older groups to put things into the rubbish bin if they couldn’t decide, with the “super-committed” least likely.

Table 9 also shows that 39% of people agreed that on occasion they may throw an item into recycling when they were not sure if it could or could not be recycled. This also included 33% of the “super-committed”.

Table 9 - Knowledge barriers to recycling right

Measure All Super-

committed

Committed Not-

committed

(Base: main sample) (n=1000) (n=528) (n=348) (n=123)

% % % %

% who do not understand what items can be recycled ‘very well’

39 30 50 52

‘Sometimes’ throws items in general waste because not sure if they can be recycled

60 47 75 72

‘Sometimes’ puts things in recycling bin even though not sure if they can be recycled

39 33 46 44

(Refer appendix - survey question B1, C1b and C2a)

3.5 What if we knew more?Gaps in knowledge and lack of understanding about what can and can’t be recycled prevented some respondents from recycling as much as they could.

A total of 24% of those surveyed who did not recycle everything said it would make “a lot” of difference if they had a better understanding of what could and could not be recycled. Among the younger age groups the proportions were higher with 35% of those under 30 and 41% of the 30-39 year olds saying it would make a lot of difference to them.

This result also supports the differences emerging between younger and older age groups elsewhere in the research, which indicates knowledge and behaviour improves over time. This could be, in part, a result of the chief recycler in the house gaining more experience.

Commitment was no guarantee of expertise, with 24% of “committed” and 25% of “not committed” recyclers that did not recycle everything, indicating that better know-how would make “a lot” of difference to how much they would recycle in future.

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A total of 24% of those surveyed who did not recycle everything, said it would make a lot of difference if they had a better understanding of what could and could not be recycled

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4.1 Dirty or clean?During qualitative research, the issue of whether dirty recyclables should be washed and cleaned was a source of confusion, particularly for those people from countries where water is precious. People resolved the question of dirty versus clean with a variety of solutions.

For some, the choice to clean dirty or smelly food containers (which may be left for up to two weeks between collections) was a trade-off between the benefits of recycling against the effort to clean them and the water wasted. These respondents put dirty recyclables into the rubbish bin.

Others solved the problem by putting items in the recycling bin dirty, but leaving their caps and lids on, while others put dirty recyclables inside plastic bags. Some then placed these in the recycling bin, depending on whether they thought plastic bags could be recycled. Some rinsed and recycled, and some believed that more thorough cleaning would take place at the recycling plant.

Quantitative research confirmed that 41% of people “occasionally”, “often” or “always” discarded dirty recyclables as rubbish, rather than cleaning or emptying them. This behaviour is least likely among the “super-committed” and most likely among the younger 16-29 age group. A total of 33% of people agreed that concerns about wasting water led them to “occasionally” or “often” discard recycling as rubbish rather than clean it. This was also a factor for 23% of the “super-committed” and 45% of the “committed”.

Respondents aged 60 plus, were more likely to say they “never” discarded dirty recyclables compared to other groups. The proportion of people who “occasionally” didn’t recycle dirty items because of concerns about wasting water was highest in the 30 to39agegroup.Ashouseholdsizeincreased(fromonepersontofive or more), the proportion of people who said dirty items “never” impacted on their recycling declined, and the proportion of people reporting “occasionally” increased.

4.2 Difficult items: Is it recyclable or rubbish?“Super-committed” recyclers demonstrated less uncertainty about whether or not some items were rubbish or recyclable and people aged 60 plus were more likely to report no uncertainty.

As illustrated in Table 10 of the uncertain items, empty food packaging made of cellulose or plastic scored highest (14%), followed by polystyrene packaging such as meat trays (8%), with plastic bags and items of mixed materials each representing 4% of uncertain items

Table 10 - Items Melburnians are uncertain about recycling

Main sample (Base: all recyclers) (n=999)

%

Empty food packets (cellulose, plastic) 14

Polystyrene packaging (e.g. meat tray) 8

Plastic bags 4

Things made of more than one material 4

Lids from bottles or jars 3

Containers with dirty food liquids 3

Waxed / lined cardboard 3

Toxic materials / paints / oils 3

Aerosol cans 2

Batteries 2

Glass other than bottles 2

Metal items 2

Packaging without symbols / numbers 2

Cling film 1

Pet food cans 1

China / pottery / porcelain 1

Fastfoodwaste/pizzaboxes 1

Cosmetics containers 1

Cleaning product containers 1

No–nothing 37

Don’t know 1

(Multiple response, refer appendix - survey question C4)

During qualitative research, people also expressed uncertainty about the recyclability of the following types of packaging: • cardboardboxeswithfoilorplasticcomponents

• pizzaboxes(astheyaredirty)

• waxedboxes(usedtotransportfruit)

• foil-linedjuiceboxesortetrapacks

• plastictakeawayfoodcontainers

• foilormetal-linedplastics

Qualitative research also indicated that differences between recycling facilities and councils guidelines on kerbside recycling added to people’s confusion when considering what to do with difficult items.

4.3 Problems with plastic bagsPrevious audits and anecdotal evidence has identified plastic bags as problematic due to their potential impact on effective recycling and overall community recycling levels.

During the in-home interviews the inspection of recycling bins confirmed the presence of plastic bags. Lack of care or concern was not always the reason plastic bags ended up in recycling. Instead, plastic bag contamination was informed by good intentions, including the mistaken belief that plastic bags were recyclable. Other participants believed that placing recyclable items together inside plastic bags would make sorting easier.

Qualitative research indicated that the practice of putting dirty recyclable items inside plastic bags as an alternative to cleaning also resulted in plastic bags ending up in kerbside recycling bins.

An additional reason was linked to their use for carrying recycling to the bin. But when this was tested during quantitative research, the results suggested the opposite.

Table 11 shows that 90%of people reported “always” putting recyclable items loose into the bin. Just 2% “always” put them inside a plastic bag with that figure rising to 12% “sometimes” among “not committed” recyclers. A further 8% agreed that they put recyclable items into the kerbside bin “sometimes loose, sometimes wrapped”.

4. What prevents Melburnians recycling more?

15

Table 11 - How Melburnians put recycling items in their bin

Main sample (Base: all recyclers) (n=999)

%

Always loose 90

Sometimes loose, sometimes wrapped 8

Always wrapped in plastic bags or other material 2

Other 1

Can't say <0.5


4.4 Problems with binsAone-size-fits-allapproachtorecyclingbincapacitydoesnotalways suit all households or all circumstances. Frequency of collectionandbinsize(particularlyinlargerhouseholdswithfortnightly collections and limited storage space) were factors contributing to household recycling ending up as landfill.

Ten percent of people said their recycling bin was too small with 14% saying their recycling collection was not frequent enough [Table 12]. The proportion of those who thought they needed either a bigger recycling bin or more frequent collection increaseddirectlywithhouseholdsize.Only3%ofsingle-personhouseholds said that a bigger bin or extra collection services would help compared with 24% of households with three or four people and 36% of households with five or more.

The demand for a bigger bin or more frequent collection also varied with age, peaking at 29% among 40-49 year olds and trending downwards among older groups. When the recycling bin is full, less committed households may respond by throwing recyclable items into the rubbish bin instead. This was less likely among more committed households who often stored excess recycling, where space allowed, until the next collection.

Table 12 - Situational barriers to recycling right

Measure All Super-

committed

Committed Not-

committed


% % % %

Recycling bin too small 10 10 11 8

Recycling bin collection not frequent enough

14 13 17 10

Sometimes throw items in general waste because recycling bin is full

24 16 32 38

Sometimes puts recyclables in general waste because no room to store them

18 11 24 27

Sometimes throws things in waste because recycling bin is inconveniently located

11 7 16 14

Sometimes throws general waste in the recycling bin because general waste bin is full

5 2 6 13

(Refer appendix - survey question A3a, A5, C1d, C1g, C1h and C2b)

Chart 5 - Percentage of Melburnians who put recycling in the rubbish bin when the recycling bin is full (Base: main sample, households that recycle)

0%

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100Never

Occasionally

Often/All of the time

Not-committedCommittedSuper-committedALL

2

22

76 84 68 62

14

2833

1 3 4

(Refer appendix - survey question C1d)

Chart 5 shows that 24% of people reported “sometimes” throwing out recyclables as rubbish because their recycling bin was full with 16% of the “super-committed” reporting doing this, rising to 38% of the “not committed”.

Eighteen percent reported discarding recycling into the rubbish bin because they lacked space for storage. Of this group 27% were “not committed” and only 11% were from the “super-committed” group [Table 12].

Another factor impacting the overall recycling rates is the choice people make when they dispose of rubbish. In particular, the sizeofthekerbsiderubbishbincanhavejustasmuchimpacton overall recycling outcomes as a recycling bin that isn’t big enough. When there is no room left in the kerbside rubbish bin there is greater potential for recycling contamination if people respond by discarding their rubbish into the recycling bin instead.

A total of 7% of people surveyed reported that their rubbish bin was full to the point of overflowing on collection day and 55% said that it was “full”.

Althoughtherubbishbinwastherightsizefor75%ofpeople,15% thought it was too small. And while nine out of ten people (91%) thought their current rubbish collection service was frequent enough, 5% wanted their rubbish collected more often.

The proportion of respondents who felt their rubbish bin was too smallvariedwiththesizeofthehousehold.Amongsinglepersonhouseholds, 2% thought their bin was too small, rising to 32% of households with five or more people. Perceptions about a lack of space in the rubbish bin also varied with age, from 25% among the under 30s down to 6% among the 60 plus age group.

As illustrated in Table 12, 5% of people confirmed that they had “sometimes” put rubbish into the recycling bin if their kerbside rubbish bin was full. This figure dropped to 2% of the “super-committed” and rose to 13% of the “not committed”.

The location of the recycling bin could also impact the less committed. Eleven percent of people reported “sometimes” throwing recyclables into the rubbish bin because the kerbside recycling bin was in an inconvenient location. Seven percent of the “super-committed” admitted to this habit, increasing to 16% of the “committed” [Table 12].

16

4.5 Different rules, changing processes Qualitative research indicated that varying kerbside recycling rules between different council areas had the potential to create confusion for householders moving from one suburb to another. The variation between council areas can be linked to different processes between recycling facilities which can impact on what can and can’t be recycled. Examples of areas of confusion include how to dispose of dirty recyclables, the different types of plastics that have been collected over time and whether to keep lids on or take them off.

Advances in recycling processes and changed recycling rules and education information over time have added to confusion. Plastic identification codes are one example. Although codes may refer to the recyclability of different sorts of plastic, this is mistakenly understood as confirmation that any plastic item with a code can go into the kerbside recycling bin. Shopping bags with recycling symbols are an example of this confusion.

4.6 Lack of time and competing priorities

Qualitative research suggested that when chief recyclers couldn’t keep up with household recycling habits, recycling standards may slip. This may happen in large families or when other priorities, such as meeting the immediate needs of children, compete for people’s attention and their ability to recycle effectively.

Quantitative research also linked better recycling outcomes with people who had more uncommitted time. Equally, people’s belief that there is not enough time to recycle or that there are better things to do, may also impact their attitude and commitment.

Six percent of people surveyed agreed with the statement that they “didn’t have enough time to recycle properly”. A further 25% agreed that they had “other things on my mind more important than worrying about recycling” [Chart 2].

Among younger people, 43% of 16-29 year olds and 31% of 30-39 year olds agreed that they had more pressing priorities elsewhere. Agreement was also higher among people in shared households (33%).

The “super-committed” had the lowest level of agreement, with only 17% agreeing that they often directed their attention to things more important than recycling. This compared with agreement from 27% of the “committed” and 52% of the “not committed” .

4.7 Recycling habits Generally, Melburnians have very good recycling intentions and behaviour with the exception of some prevailing habits which, when combined, may significantly impact both the amount households recycle and the contamination of kerbside recycling bins.

As shown in Table 13 these habits included:

• 41%ofrespondentsoccasionallydiscardeddirtyrecyclablessuch as rubbish, rather than cleaning or emptying them, with the proportion of people who did this “often” highest among those aged 16-29.

• 36%occasionallydiscardedrecyclableitemsfromthebathroom into the rubbish bin, with the proportion of people who did this “often” or “all the time” again highest among those aged 16-29.

• 33%occasionallydidnotrecycleitemsbecausetheydidn’twant to waste water cleaning them, with people aged 60 plus most likely to say “never” and the proportion of people who said “occasionally” highest among people aged 30-39.

• 28%placeddocumentsintherubbishbinbecauseofprivacyconcerns with people aged 60 plus most likely to say “never”.

Table 13 - Behavioural barriers to recycling correctly

Measure All Super-

committed

Committed Not-

committed


% % % %

Sometimes forgets to empty bin so full before next collection

20 17 26 15

Sometimes throws recyclables from bathroom in general waste

36 23 48 56

Sometimes throws recyclables in general waste rather then clean or empty them

41 28 55 54

Sometimes doesn’t recycle because does not want to waste water cleaning item

33 23 45 48

Sometimes puts documents in general waste because of privacy concerns

28 23 35 28

(Refer appendix - survey question C1a, C1c, C1e, C1f and C1i)

The greater a person’s commitment to recycling the less likely they were to conform to these behaviours. The exception was with the “super-committed” indicating the same security concerns about the disposal of private documents as those less committed. Of the remaining behaviours the responses from “committed” and “not committed” people were similar, with the exception that among the “not committed” more people said that the first three behaviours applied to them “often” or “all of the time”.

With the exception of people putting documents into the rubbish bin due to privacy concerns, all recycling habits trended upwards asthesizeofthehouseholdincreased.Youngerpeopleaged 16-29 and 30-39 were more likely to behave in all of these ways and to do so more often than other age groups.

17

5. S

ourc

es o

f inf

orm

atio

n

18

5.1 Word of mouthQualitative research indicated that word of mouth between householders and between neighbours was a key medium for transferring recycling know-how and, on occasion, debate. Many respondents had built their recycling knowledge over years and cemented their behaviour through repetition and habit.

5.2 CouncilsCouncils also distribute information about recycling to residents and, according to quantitative research, with mostly positive results. Responses to questions asking people to recall council information received, kept and referred to when recycling revealed the following:

• 71%ofrespondentsrememberedreceivinginformationfrom their council at some time. Of these, 90% agreed it had helped them to understand what could and could not go into their kerbside recycling bin and 76% agreed it helped them to better understand the process of recycling.

• Only41%ofpeopleaged16-29recalledreceivingcouncilinformation. Of these, 67% agreed that it was helpful, making this age group the least likely to be helped by council information when making decisions about recycling.

• Ofthosewhorecalledeverreceivinganything,themostfrequently recalled items were brochures or booklets (68%), waste and recycling calendars (24%) and fridge magnets (13%).

While quantitative research indicated many people made recycling decisions before getting to their kerbside bin, as Table 8 shows, bin stickers were selected by 18% of respondents as an information source that helped them decide what goes in the kerbside recycling bin.

The fact that 56% of the “not committed” kept any recycling information received (compared with 74% of the “super-committed”) highlights the need for future recycling messages to be communicated in a variety of ways.

5.3 OtherAs demonstrated in Table 14, apart from local council information, the most commonly used information source for waste and recycling services was the internet (particularly for younger groups aged 16-39), with 32% using a search engine and 12% accessing a specific website.

Table 14 - Other information sources used for recycling services


%

Internet via search engine (e.g. Google) 32

Internet - named website 12

Local newspapers 10

Council website 8

Contact the council 8

Tip or recycling centre 4

White Pages or Yellow Pages 3

TV 2

Information on bin lids 2

Radio 1

Family, friends, neighbours 1

Workplace 1

Leaflets or booklets from council 1

Other government authorities 1

Non-government organisations 1

Local library 1

Shopping centres and supermarkets 1

Other 3

Don’t know / nowhere else 30

(Multiple responses refer appendix - survey question D4a)

5. Sources of information

90% agreed council information had helped them to understand what could and could not go into their kerbside recycling bin

“”

19

6. W

hat w

ould

hel

p M

elbu

rnia

ns r

ecyc

le m

ore?

20

6.1 Council incentives and warningsCouncils use a number of ways to educate and encourage good recycling. ‘Carrot’ motivations include appreciation and incentives, while ‘stick’ motivations refer to council warnings, penalties and collection denial. There are also knowledge motivations that include finding out how recycling reduces landfill, what happens to recycling after kerbside collection, how recycling helps to tackle climate change and how it saves energy and resources.

Quantitative research indicates that Melburnians want to know more about recycling, specifically what happens to recycling after collection, and to more clearly understand how recycling benefits the environment. Table 15 shows that improving knowledge rated much higher as a potential influence on attitude and recycling behaviour than carrot and stick actions undertaken by councils.

Table 15 - What would encourage Melburnians to recycle more (Table shows items that would encourage respondents to recycle “a lot”)


%

Carrot and stick motivations

Warned/notified by your council about what you are doing wrong

46

Told your bin won’t be collected that week for not recycling properly

38

Feeling more appreciated by your local council for your efforts

33

Receiving some kind of incentive from your local council

35

Knowledge motivations

How recycling is helping to reduce landfill 70

What happens to recyclables after pick up 55

How recycling helps to tackle climate change 57

How recycling is saving energy and resources 65

(Refer appendix - survey question E4a, E4b, E4c, E4d, E4e, E4f, E4g, E4h)

Only 19% of people agreed that they recycled because the council told them to [Chart 2] yet 46% of people stated a warning notice for failing to recycle correctly would impact their behaviour “a lot” [Table 15]. Although this figure indicates warning notices provided by councils may have an impact, people were more likely to identify with knowledge motivations than any amount of carrot or stick.

6.2 Clarity about environmental benefitsQuantitative research confirmed that concern for the environment clearly motivated people’s attitudes to recycling, with 94% “agreeing” or “strongly agreeing” they were happy to recycle for the environment.

Despite this positive attitude the environmental benefits of recycling was only understood “very well” by 47% of people [Chart 6].

Chart 6 - Melburnians understanding of the environmental benefits of recycling (Base: main sample)

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Very well Fairly well Not very well

How well do you feel that you understandthe environmental bene�ts of recycling?

6 47 47


Knowledge of the environmental benefits of recycling was “very well” understood by 34% of 16-29 year olds, compared to 51% of those aged 50 plus. Also, 60% of the “super-committed” felt their knowledge was “very well” understood, followed by 33% of the “committed” and 28% of the “not committed”.

As outlined in Table 15 a range of environmental benefits were posed to respondents as options that would encourage them to recycle more. Seventy percent of people claimed that improving their understanding of how recycling helped reduce landfill would achieve this, 65% of respondents wanted to gain a better understanding of how recycling saves energy and resources and 57% wanted to know how recycling addresses climate change.

Greater clarity about environmental benefits also emerged as the strongest motivation to recycle more in future for the 16-29 and 30-39 age groups.

6. What would help Melburnians recycle more?

21

6.3 Confidence in the recycling systemQualitative research indicated that respondents with the clearest idea about what happens to recycling after collection were often those who also reported greater commitment and attention to the task of correctly sorting recycling from rubbish.

Others displayed a poor understanding of what happens to recyclables after collection. For some people, this included their belief that all or some recyclables go to landfill anyway, making the task of sorting recyclables from general rubbish pointless.

While most people during qualitative research felt that recyclables went somewhere for sorting and reuse, the research confirmed that few knew exactly what happened after kerbside recycling was collected.

Forty five percent of people were “not always confident” that everything they sent to recycling was in fact recycled with 6% indicating that they had no confidence in the recycling system [Chart 7].

Chart 7 - Confidence of Melburnians that recycling is recycled (Base: main sample)

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Very con�dent Not always con�dent Not con�dent Other Don’t know

How con�dent are you that the items you put out for recycling are recycled?

2

1

6 45 46


Fifty-five percent said they would be encouraged to recycle more if they understood exactly what happened to recycling after it was collected [Chart 8].

Chart 8 - Influence of local council information on Melburnian’s recycling (Base: main sample)

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

A lot A little No difference Not relevant / Don't know

Knowing how recycling is saving energy and resources

Knowing how recycling helps to tackle climate change

What happens to recyclables after they have been picked up

How recycling is helping to reduce land�ll

Receiving some kind of incentive from your council

Feeling more appreciated for your efforts

Told your bin won't be collected that week

Warned / noti�ed by your council about wrong doing

5 24 25 46

10 40 12 38

3 48 16 33

5 45 15 35

2 15 13 70

1 23 21 55

3 23 17 57

1 16 17 65

(Refer appendix - survey question E4a, E4b, E4c, E4d, E4e, E4f, E4g, E4h)

22

55% said they would be encouraged to recycle more if they understood exactly what happened to recycling after it was collected

“

”

23

7. C

ultu

rally

and

ling

uist

ical

ly d

iver

se g

roup

s

24

7.1 No lack of commitment As demonstrated in Chart 9 the CALD groups surveyed showed a commitment to recycling that was the similar to, and in some cases exceeded, the main sample of people surveyed.

Chart 9 - Commitment to recycling (Base: main sample and CALD sample)

0%

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100Not-committed

Committed

Super-committed

Arabic/Sudanese

Vietnamese/Chinese

Italian/GreekMain Survey

12 32 33 21

53 48 28 69

20

20

39

10

A total of 60% of CALD people surveyed “strongly agreed” that recycling made them “happy to be doing their bit for the environment”, compared with 45% of the main sample of people surveyed.

While CALD groups ranked the importance of recycling as highly as other groups, as with the main respondents, gaps in know-how and understanding prevented CALD groups matching good intention and commitment with correct recycling practices [Table 16, Table 17, Table 18].

Language barriers mean that CALD groups may miss out on recycling messages delivered to the rest of the community, potentially limiting their knowledge to recycle effectively and, in some cases, to even to get started.

In addition, some CALD groups have no past recycling experience or knowledge of different recycling systems outside their country of origin.

Quantitative research revealed a clear willingness to put in the extra effort to recycle from 76% of Italian or Greek respondents, 70% of people from Vietnamese or Chinese origin and 81% of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin. But despite this willingness research indicated that CALD groups struggled with decision making as per the main sample groups.

Among the CALD groups, Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin were likely to say they understood the environmental benefits of recycling “very well” (76%). The same groups also demonstrated a very high trust of the system, with 80% “very confident” that everything put in their recycling bin was later recycled. In contrast, 22% of people of Italian or Greek origin reported that they did not understand the environmental benefits very well. People of Italian or Greek origin also displayed a lack of trust in the recycling system, with only 30% agreeing they were “very confident” everything put into their bin was later recycled.

Table 16 - Willingness to make additional effort to recycle

CALD sample (Base: all respondents)

Italian / Greek

Vietnamese / Chinese

Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)% % %

I recycle even if it requires additional effort

76 70 81

I only recycle if it does not require additional effort

17 28 16

I do not recycle 0 2 1Don't know 7 0 1


Table 17 - Importance of recycling


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)

% % %Very important 66 60 86Fairly important 18 34 10Not very important 7 4 4

Not at all important 1 0 0Don't know 7 2 0


Table 18 - Outcomes of household recycling


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)% % %

(I /We) recycle everything that can be

83 38 75

(I /We) recycle a lot but not everything

15 51 18

(I /We) recycle sometimes 1 9 6(I /We) do not recycle at all 0 2 1


7.2 Recycling know-howAs with the main sample of people surveyed, quantitative research revealed gaps in CALD groups understanding and confidence about what could and could not be recycled.

Length of residency in Australia did not necessarily contribute to greater recycling knowledge. CALD groups residing in Australia for more than ten years (such as respondents of Vietnamese or Chinese origin) expressed a lack of confidence about their knowledge of what could and could not be recycled.

7. Culturally and linguistically diverse groups

25

As shown in Chart 10, 35% of people of Vietnamese or Chinese origin agreed that their existing knowledge of recycling was “very well” understood. In contrast, the more recently arrived groups of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin expressed higher levels of confidence with 78% reporting that they understood “very well” what could and could not be recycled.

Chart 10 - How well CALD groups understand what can be recycled (Base: CALD sample)

0%102030405060708090

100Very well

Fairly well

Not very well

Not at all

Arabic/SudaneseVietnamese/ChineseItalian/Greek

CALD Groups

65

34

1

35

58

2 11

78

20

3


Table 18 illustrates that 75% of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin also agreed that their household recycled everything that they could. Similarly, this statement was supported by 83% of those of Italian and Greek origin.

However, these high percentages may be evidence of good recycling intentions rather than a literal translation of recycling outcomes. As with the main sample of people surveyed, CALD groups also later agreed that they put bathroom items that could be recycled into the rubbish bin and threw away dirty recyclables rather than clean them.

CALD groups also matched the main sample of people surveyed in the apparent contrast between confidence in their recycling ability and their reported difficulty trying to decide whether or not to recycle items that were in fact not recyclable, such as batteries and plastic bags.

Thirty six percent of CALD people surveyed said they did not recycle everything they could with a third indicating that more knowledge would make “a lot” of difference to their recycling behaviour.

7.3 New arrivalsDiscussions and interviews during qualitative research suggested that people from more recently arrived CALD communities were confused about how recycling operated in Australia, with many people not appearing to recycle well or, in some cases, not at all.

For respondents arriving from countries where water is scarce, the concept of wasting water by rinsing recyclables was inconceivable. The research showed that CALD newcomers to Melbourne are not likely to be shown how to recycle when they first arrive. This means that many fail to understand the benefits of recycling, while others struggle to work out on their own how recycling should be done.

For example, qualitative research suggested confusion about which bins were used for what purpose. CALD people surveyed who had moved into free-standing homes from multi-storey public housing accommodation (where there had been no kerbside recycling) reported they were initially perplexed about the presence of two bins in their new home. In some cases, not understanding the purpose of the two bins led larger households to reverse the bin functions and to use the larger kerbside recycling bin for rubbish instead.

7.4 Getting informationExisting council materials and information mediums are less likely to reach CALD groups, with those surveyed unable to recall receiving any information from their council.

Research indicated that CALD groups relied more heavily on word of mouth communications, community forums, ethnic radio, written word or symbols for information.

Particularly where English language proficiency and / or literacy was poor, CALD groups preferred to find out about recycling and waste collection from in-language community information sessions, though existing community and cultural groups and, ideally, when delivered by community leaders.

Over 26% of people of Vietnamese or Chinese origin and 21% of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin said more information or clarity about what could be recycled would help make recycling easier for their households [Table 19].

Table 19 - Respondents’ suggestions as to what would make recycling easier


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)% % %

Nothing / None / No 72 55 63More information / clarity about what can be recycled

6 26 21

More frequent collection 4 3 5

Bigger / better recycling bins

4 1 1

Information on what happen after it’s picked up

4 1 6

Separate bins for glass , paper, plastic etc

- - -

Information in pictorial form / other languages

4 2 3

How to deal with electrical waste / TVs / computers etc

- 1 -

Other 11 15 5


7.5 Larger households, bigger bins?CALD households that did not recycle everything reported similar issues as the main sample about frequency of recycling collectionorrecyclingbinsize,withresultstrendingupwardsashouseholdsizeincreased.Bothbinsizeandcollectionfrequencyhave the potential to contribute to household recycling ending up as landfill.

As with the main sample, CALD respondents who did not recycle everything said it would make “a lot” of difference if they had either a more frequent recycling collection or a bigger recycling bin, with a preference for the bigger bin.

26

7.6 Recycling decisionsIn general, CALD respondents paid less attention to recycling symbols (including plastic-type codes) or to the materials items were made from when deciding whether or not something could be recycled compared to the main sample of people [Table 20].

Table 20 - How recyclers decide what can be recycled


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)% % %

What material it is made from

61 62 22

Recycling symbols 20 24 51Plastic type (number 1 to 7) 4 3 3Bin sticker provided by council

31 13 25

Other info. provided by councils

14 10 -

Whether it says it is recyclable

1 4 -

General knowledge /common sense

- 1 -

Whether the item is dirty or smelly

- - -

Media information / reports - - -Don’t know 4 6 6

(Refer appendix - survey question C3)

When CALD respondents couldn’t decide whether or not something should be recycled, they were less likely than the main sample to dispose of those items in the rubbish bin [Table 21].

Table 21 - Throwing items in waste bin because unsure they can be recycled


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=90) (n=79)% % %

Never 61 46 84Occasionally 28 42 11Often 0 9 4All of the time 6 2 1Don't know 6 1 0

(Refer appendix - survey question C1b)

There were differences between CALD groups when it came to making decisions about recycling. Bin stickers were an important source of recycling information for people of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin and those of Italian or Greek origin. People of Italian or Greek origin and people of Chinese or Vietnamese origin were likely to assess what material items were made from as part of their decision making process [Table 20].

7.7 Difficult itemsWhen asked to identify items that they had difficulty deciding whether or not to recycle, CALD people surveyed indicated the same gaps in knowledge and understanding about what was acceptable for kerbside recycling as the main sample of people surveyed.

Although CALD respondents were less likely than the main sample of people surveyed to mention food packaging they were more likely to mention plastic bags, cling wrap, aerosol cans and batteries. More specifically, 14% of those people of Vietnamese or Chinese origin were unsure about recycling batteries and with 9% unsure about recycling glass other than bottles. Although Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin were keen recyclers and reported a good understanding of what could be recycled, relatively high proportions had difficulties with plastic bags, batteries and glass other than bottles.

7.8 Plastic bagsDuring qualitative research CALD respondents who held the view that plastic bags could be recycled through the kerbside collection system, were later surprised to learn that this was incorrect.

While the majority of the CALD people surveyed during quantitative research demonstrated a clear understanding that recyclable items should be emptied loose into kerbside bins, all CALD groups expressed a degree of confusion when deciding whether or not to recycle plastic bags. This peaked at 19% among Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin.

CALD groups may lack specific recycling knowledge compared to the main sample of people surveyed, but there were often good intentions behind their actions.

For example, 27% of Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin said they “always” wrapped recyclable items inside plastic bags, with a further 47% reporting they discarded items into recycling “sometimes loose, sometimes wrapped”. Earlier qualitative research revealed that these actions may have been informed by the mistaken belief that putting recyclables in plastic would somehow assist the recycling process.

A total of 17% of people of Vietnamese or Chinese origin also said they “sometimes” put recyclables in the recycling bin wrapped in plastic or a plastic bag.

Familiaritywithrecyclingsystemsinothercountries–anddifferentrulesaboutwhatcanandcannotberecycled–mayalso inform the varied recycling actions of CALD groups.

27

7.9 Council incentives and warningsCompared to the main sample of people surveyed, CALD groups gave different responses when it came to the motivation to recycle more in future. Of particular note was whether or not closing knowledge gaps about environmental benefits and the recycling process would encourage them to recycle correctly more than the carrot and stick motivations by council.

As shown in Table 22 most Arabic speakers and those of Sudanese origin said they would be encouraged to recycle “a lot” more by either the knowledge or by the carrot and stick motivational options. People of Italian or Greek origin and those of Vietnamese or Chinese origin were less inclined to be motivated by increasing their knowledge about the environmental benefits. However, people of Italian or Greek origin were just as likely to be encouraged by more knowledge as they were by council warnings.

If strategies and messages for CALD groups are to be effective, the quantitative research indicates that messages should be tailored to match the preferences and motivations of each group.

Table 22 - What would encourage Melburnians to recycle more (Table shows items that would encourage respondents to recycle “a lot”)


Italian / Greek


Arabic / Sudanese

(n=71) (n=92) (n=80)% % %

Carrot and Stick MotivationsWarned/notified by your council about what you are doing wrong

42 35 83

Told your bin won’t be collected that week for not recycling properly

25 40 70

Feeling more appreciated by your local council for your efforts

25 34 80

Receiving some kind of incentive from your local council

15 30 83

Knowledge MotivationsHow recycling is helping to reduce landfill

41 55 86

What happens to recyclables after pick up

35 33 81

How recycling helps to tackle climate change

44 58 90

How recycling is saving energy and resources

35 49 90

(Refer appendix - survey question E4a, E4b, E4c, E4d, E4e, E4f, E4g and E4h)

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60% of CALD people surveyed strongly agreed that recycling made them happy to be doing their bit for the environment

“

”

29

Summary of findingsWhat prevents Melburnians recycling more?Most Melburnians are committed to recycling. The research suggests the following barriers are preventing improved household recycling:

• Bin sizeBinsizeisaparticularproblemforlargehouseholdsandthosewithinsufficient storage capacity. Lack of space in the recycling bin may lead to recycling ending up in the rubbish bin destined for landfill. Likewise, limited space in the kerbside rubbish bin increases the potential for contamination problems if householders discard their rubbish in the recycling bin.

• Plastic bagsConfusion about the recyclability of plastic bags leads to their contribution as a source of contamination. Contamination from plastic bags also results from the mistaken belief that the recycling process is assisted by the use of plastic bags to sort items. This includes the practice of placing recycling inside plastic bags or using them to carry recycling to the bin outside.

• Difficult itemsWhile Melburnians understand the basics of recycling materials such as paper, bottles, cardboard, glass and aluminium, there is confusion regarding some plastic items. Uncertainty also exists about the disposing of ‘dirty’ recyclables and whether to keep lids on or take them off. There is also uncertainty about whether non-packaging related items, which are recyclable in principle, are acceptable for kerbside collection. Decision making involving these difficult items can lead to both the contamination of recycling and the disposal of recycling as rubbish.

• Recycling consistencyDifferences in what can be accepted for recycling may vary from council to council, potentially leading to confusion, especially when people move home from one area to another. Advances in recycling processes over time may also mean that messages retained by the community may no longer be up to date and correct.

• Information access and preferencesWhen recycling messages are not being conveyed through preferred information channels (for example, younger audiences preference for digital media), there is potential for confusion and diminished recycling know-how. Similarly, for groups such as CALD, temporary residents and the newly arrived, gaps exist between their commitment to recycling, their understanding of council literature and access to mainstream media. This impacts their ability to access and understand messages despite their willingness to recycle.

• Habits and beliefsHouseholdersrecyclewheremostwasteisgenerated–thekitchen–whichmeansweoftendon’trecycleinotherareassuchasthebathroom, the study and the bedroom. If householders are unsure whether or not to clean recyclables, dirty items may unnecessarily end up in the rubbish bin. Unless otherwise convinced, force of habit results in our retention of long-held beliefs.

Helping Melburnians to recycle moreThe research not only uncovered room for improvement but also revealed a desire for increased knowledge, including more information about the wider outcomes of recycling actions:

• More know-howRespondents indicated a demand for more explicit direction about kerbside recycling. Particular attention is needed for difficult items, plastic bags and the potential impact of contamination on recycling efforts.

• Greater understandingRespondents want greater information and a better understanding about what happens to the recycling after it’s collected from the kerbside, including its contribution to helping the environment.

Target audiencesAs well as encouraging the efforts of those not recycling at maximum capacity, another way to improve recycling may be to convince those who think they recycle everything, that they can in fact recycle more:

• All MelburniansRegardless of commitment or background, most people can recycle better and more often. All levels of the community will benefit from messages that encourage good habits and better know-how to help them recycle more effectively. While respondents recognised common recyclables, the research indicates that people were just as likely as not, to make mistakes about other items that are recyclable. This confusion regarding key messages suggests that basic kerbside recycling messages need repeating and, to be effective, their delivery must be simple and consistent [Table 28].

• Younger age groupsYounger age groups (16-29 year olds and, to a lesser extent, 30-39 year olds) showed lower commitment to recycling compared to older age groups. Along with less commitment, the 16-29 age group indicated poorer recycling know-how, and considered themselves time poor and pre-occupied by more pressing issues. Some may have recently left home where recycling was taken care of by someone else or they may be in a share house for the first time.

• Culturally and linguistically diverse groupsLanguage barriers and less access to mainstream media mean that CALD groups may not receive the recycling messages that are delivered to the rest of the community. They may also prefer delivery in alternative ways, for example, spoken via community groups and leaders, ethnic radio or visual rather than written messages. More recent and temporary residents, perhaps familiar with different systems or with no prior experience of recycling, may need particular support to help them adapt or start.

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ConclusionMelburnians’ have high levels of commitment and enthusiasm for recycling, with only 1% of respondents saying they recycled only sometimes and 99% of people reporting that Melbourne has a convenient recycling system.

The research suggests that Melburnians’ commitment to recycling changes with age and circumstances. Commitment increases with age and decreases as households get bigger. Ensuring recycling efforts don’t go unrecognised, along with exploring ways to lift commitment may help to increase the overall recycling level.

The findings show that enthusiasm is no substitute for know-how. Despite a good grasp of the basics, people struggle to discern the different types of plastics, whether or not to recycle ‘difficult’ items, whether or not to clean dirty items, or whether to take lids off or leave them on.

Factorssuchasbinsize,contaminationofrecyclingbyplasticbags and lack of knowledge all prevent Melburnians recycling more often and more effectively. In addition, people want a better understanding of what happens to recycling after it has been collected and want to feel confident that what is put out for recycling does actually get recycled.

Regardless of background or age research has shown that everyone will benefit from messages that promote good recycling habits and decision making, with younger people aged 16-39 and CALD groups requiring particular attention. Building Melburnians’ confidence in the recycling system by demonstrating what happens to recycling after its collected and by emphasising the environmental benefits of recycling could be ways to help improve recycling and reinforce positive behaviour.

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App

endi

x: S

urve

y

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INTRODUCTIONGood morning/afternoon/evening. My name is (..............) from Wallis Consulting Group. We are conducting a survey on behalf of local and state government about waste and recycling collection services in your area. It takes no more than 15 minutes and is completely confidential.

S1. May I please speak to the person aged 16 and above who is most responsible for managing waste and recycling in your home?Yes

Relevant person is absent

Relevant person is not yet

Refused

Business / not a private household

IF REFUSAL ASKX1. Could I just ask only one question then, just to help us get a broader consultation on one point; which of the following statements best describes how much of your household waste is recycled?We recycle everything that can be recycled

We recycle a lot but not everything that can be recycled

We recycle sometimes

We do not recycle at all

Refused

CALD INTERVIEWS ONLYCS1. Were you born in Australia or overseas?Australia

Overseas

Refused

CS2. What is the main language your household usually speaks at home?English

Greek

Italian

Vietnamese

Chinese

Arabic

Sudanese

Other (SPECIFY)

Appendix: SurveyCS3. When did you first come to live in Australia?Before 1950

1950 - 1959

1960 - 1969

1970 - 1979

1980 - 1989

1990 - 1999

2000 - 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009 / 2010

Refused

SECTION A: Waste and recycling collection services

A1. Thinking about the waste services that your council provides, which of the following types of bins are provided by your local council for kerbside pick-up at your residence? General waste

Recyclable materials

Garden waste and organics

Apartment building / waste not taken at kerbside

Don’t know / Refused

Other (SPECIFY)

A2. Thinking about the (general waste / recycling) bin (provided by your council)…

Is that an individual bin solely for your household’s use or is that a communal bin that is shared with other households? Individual bin for household

Shared / communal bin

A3a. Is this bin...? Too big for your household

Just right for your household

Too small for your household

A3b. Are there enough bins for the households that share them? Too many for the households that share them

Just the right amount of bins

Not enough bins for the households that share them

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A4. How often does your local council collect your (general waste / recycling) bin?Weekly

Fortnightly

Other (SPECIFY)

A5. And is the council collection… Too frequent for your household

Just right

Not frequent enough for your household

A6. So, on average, how full is your (general waste / recycling) bin on collection day?Overflowing

Full

Half full

Less than half full

Don’t know

A7. How many people live in your household?One (self)

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six or more

SECTION B: Recycling behaviourNow I would like you to think about household waste that can be recycled via your kerbside recycling bin provided by your council.

*B1. Thinking generally, how well would you say that you understand what items can be placed in your kerbside recycling bin? Would you say...Very well

Fairly well

Not very well

Not at all

Don’t know

*B2. And still thinking about recycling of household waste, how important would you say recycling is to you personally? Is it… Very important

Fairly important

Not very important

Not at all important

Don’t know

*B3a. How convenient is it for you personally to recycle your household waste. Would you say it is… Very convenient

Fairly convenient

Not very convenient

Not at all convenient

Don’t know

B3b. In what way is it not convenient for you to recycle household waste?

*B4a. Which of the following statements best describes your attitude to recycling of household waste?I recycle even if it requires additional effort

I only recycle if it does not require additional effort

I do not recycle

Can’t say

B4b. And thinking about other people in your household who dispose of waste, how well do they recycle in comparison to you? Would you say they...Do it better or just as well as you

Do it quite well but not as well as you

Don’t do it very well

Don’t do it at all

Can’t say / it varies

*B5. So thinking about your household overall, which of the following statements best describes how much of your household waste is recycled?(I / we) recycle everything that can be recycled

(I / we) recycle a lot but not everything that can be recycled

(I / we) recycle sometimes

(I / we) do not recycle at all

B6. Now thinking about when you have items that can be recycled in your home, which of the following best describes the USUAL process for sorting the recycling in your household? Do you….a) Have special containers or bags in some rooms that you put recyclable items into or

b) Put recyclable items aside and then just take them loose to the recycling bin or

c) Put general waste and recycling into one container and then sort it out when you get to the recycling bin or

d) Have some other system (SPECIFY)

e) Can’t say

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B7. In which rooms do you have special containers or bags for recyclables?Kitchen

Laundry

Lounge

Dining room

Study / retreat

Bedroom(s)

Bathroom / toilet

Garage / shed

Other

B8. When items are placed into the recycling bin are they loose or are they in a bag or wrapped up? Always loose

Sometimes loose, sometimes wrapped in plastic or in a plastic bag

Always wrapped in plastic or in a plastic bag

Other (SPECIFY)

Can’t say

SECTION C: Decision making and influences around practical problems Now we are going to talk about recycling in more detail. Again, we are talking about recycling via your kerbside bin.

*C1. Some people find that there are times when they don’t recycle all the household waste that they could. I’m going to run through some possible reasons and in each case can you tell me how often this happens in your household? Firstly, how often does it happen that your household… a) Forgets to put the recycling bin out and it’s full before the next

collection

b) Throws things in the general waste bin because you are not sure if they can be recycled

c) Throws recyclable materials from the bathroom (like plastic bottles) in the general waste bin

d) Throws recycling in your general waste bin because your recycling bin is full

e) Throws dirty or smelly recyclable materials in the general waste bin rather than cleaning them or emptying them

f) Doesn’t recycle items that are dirty because you don’t want to waste water cleaning them

g) Puts things out in the general waste because you don’t have space to store items for recycling in the house

h) Throws things in the general waste because your recycling bin is inconveniently located or you don’t want to go outside to it

i) Puts documents in the general waste bin because of privacy concerns

Never

Occasionally

Often

All of the time

Don’t know

*C2. And still using the same scale, how often would it happen that your household…a) Puts things in the recycling bin even though you’re not sure if

they can be recycled

b) Throws general waste in the recycling bin because your general waste bin is full

C3. When deciding on whether or not to place an item into the recycling bin, what are the things about the item that YOU look for to assist you in making this decision?

What else do you look for?What material it is made from (e.g. plastic, metal, glass, paper)

Whether it is packaging

Recycling symbols

Plastic type (number 1 to 7)

Whether it says it is recyclable

Whether the item is dirty or smelly (contains food waste or milk)

Whether I have to use water to clean the item

Sizeandbulkinessoftheitem

Bin sticker provided by councils

Other waste and recycling information provided by councils

Other (SPECIFY)

Don’t know

C4a. Are there any particular items that you have difficulty in deciding whether to place in the recycling bin or not or anything that you are unsure about? Aerosol cans

Batteries

Cling film

Empty food packets (cellulose, plastic)

Lids from bottles or jars

Pet food cans

Plastic bags

Mobile phones / old cameras

Polystyrene packaging (e.g. meat tray)

China / pottery / porcelain

Glass other than bottles

Metal items (e.g. coat hangers, cutlery)

Containers with dirty food or liquids left over in them

Things made of more than one material (e.g. plastic and metal)

Things that say they are biodegradable

Other (SPECIFY)

No–neverhaveanydifficulty

Don’t know

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C4b. Thinking about others in your household, are there any particular items that you think they have trouble deciding whether to place in the recycling bin or not? Aerosol cans

Batteries

Cling film

Empty food packets (cellulose, plastic)

Lids from bottles or jars

Pet food cans

Plastic bags

Mobile phones / old cameras

Polystyrene packaging (e.g. meat tray)

China / pottery / porcelain

Glass other than bottles

Metal items (e.g. coat hangers, cutlery)

Containers with dirty food or liquids left over in them

Things made of more than one material (e.g. plastic and metal)

Things that say they are biodegradable

Other (SPECIFY)

No–neverhaveanydifficulty

Don’t know

C5. Not applicable

*C6. So overall would it make a difference to the amount of recycling your household does if…a) You had a better understanding about what you should and shouldn’t put into the recycling bin?

b) You had a more frequent recycling bin collection?

c) You had a bigger recycling bin?

Would you sayA lot

A little

Would make no difference

Don’t know

C7. Why is it that you do not recycle?

*C8. There are some practical things that may put you off recycling household waste. How much do the following put you off recycling?a) Not having suitable storage space inside the home until it’s

convenient to place items in the outside recycling bin

b) Not knowing when collection days are

c) Don’t want to sort through dirty bins (such as the bathroom) to sort recyclable items

d) Being worried about privacy from recycling financial documents

e) The outside recycling bin is not conveniently located

f) Being unsure about what can be recycled

g) Not wanting to recycle dirty items as it would waste water cleaning them

h) Not wanting to clean or empty dirty and smelly items before recycling them

i) Not having enough time to think about recycling

j) Not understanding the recycling system in my area

k) Thinking that items that go in the recycling bin just go to landfill

l) Can’t see any practical impact / benefit of recycling

A lot

A little

Makes no difference

Not relevant

SECTION D: Information sources

D1. In the past 2 years do you recall receiving information from your local council about kerbside recycling collection services?Yes

No

Don’t know / Refused

D2a. What TYPE of information do you recall seeing or hearing? Brochure or booklet

Fridge magnet

Sticker on bin

Waste and recycling calendar

Article or information in the local paper

Council’s website

Other (SPECIFY)

None / nothing

Don’t know

D2b. Have you kept any of that information?

D2c. How often do you refer to this informationAt least once a week

Once a fortnight

Once a month

Once every 2-3 months

Once every 4-6 months

Less often / never

Not sure

*D3.To what extent do you agree or disagree that the council’s information has helped you to... a) Know what can and can’t go into the kerbside recycling bin

b) Know when your recycling bins will be collected

c) Understand the benefits of recycling

d) Understand the recycling process

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Don’t know

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D4a. Apart from your local council, where (else) would you look for information about waste and recycling services? Internet–viasearchengine(e.g.Google)

Internet–namedwebsite(SPECIFY)

Local newspaper(s)

TV

Radio

Community groups

Family, friends, neighbours

Children’s school

From workplace

Other (SPECIFY)

Don’t know / can’t remember

None / nowhere else

D4b. Not applicable

SECTION E: Attitudes and values

*E1. Do you agree or disagree that….a) Recycling makes me happy to be doing my bit for the

environment

b) I often have other things on my mind which are more important than worrying about recycling

c) I recycle because the council tells me to do it

d) I just don’t have enough time to recycle properly

e) When I don’t recycle I feel a bit guilty that I haven’t done the right thing

f) Rules about what items can and can’t be placed in your recycling bin make it all too complicated

g) When I don’t recycle it doesn’t really bother me

h) It’s easier to recycle than not to

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Don’t know

*E2. How well do you feel that you understand the environmental benefits of recycling?

Would you sayVery well

Fairly well

Not very well

Not at all

Don’t know

E3. How confident are you that the items you put out for recycling are recycled? Would you say...Very confident / trust the system

Not always confident / not sure if everything is recycled

Not confident / don’t trust the system at all

Other answer (SPECIFY)

Can’t say

*E4. To what extent would the following encourage you to continue recycling or to recycle more? a) Being warned/notified by your council about what you are

doing wrong in your recycling

b) Knowing how recycling is helping to reduce landfill

c) Being told by your council that your bin won’t be collected that week for not recycling properly

d) Knowing what happens to recyclables after they have been picked up from your kerbside

e) Knowing how recycling helps to tackle climate change

f) Feeling more appreciated by your local council for your efforts

g) Knowing how recycling is saving energy and resources

h) Receiving some kind of incentive from your local council

A lot

A little

Makes no difference

Not relevant

E5. Taking everything into account, do you have any suggestions for what would make recycling easier or more convenient for your household?

SECTION F: CLASSIFICATION AND DEMOGRAPHICSFinally, we would like to ask you some questions about you and your household to ensure that we have spoken to a good cross section of households. Please be assured that your answers will be kept confidential and will only be used in aggregate analysis.

F1. Which of the following age groups do you fall into? 16-17 years

18-19 years

20-29 years

30-39 years

40-49 years

50-59 years

60-69 years

70 years or over

37

F2. Roughly, what is your household income before tax. Is it...Less than $25,000

$25,000 - $50,000

$50,000 - $75,000

$75,000 - $100,000

More than $100,000

Refused

F3. What is your current occupation or activity?

F4. What is the highest level of education you have reached? Primary School

Some secondary school

Finished secondary school

Some tertiary education (University, TAFE)

Finished tertiary education

Higher degree or diploma (Masters, Graduate Diploma)

Refused

F5. Is the place you are living in...Rented

Owned or being purchased by you

Don’t know / refused

F6. Is that public housing?Yes

No

Don’t know

F7. How long have you been living in this property?Under 1 year

1-2 years

3-5 years

6-10 years

More than 10 years

Don’t know

F8. Prior to living at your current property did you...Live in the same Melbourne council area

Live in a different Melbourne council area

Live in Australia but outside metro Melbourne

Live overseas

Other (SPECIFY)

Don’t know

F9. What type of property do you live in?Detached house

Semi detached house, terrace or townhouse

Number of units on block

Low rise apartments / flats - that’s one or two stories

Mediumriseapartments/flats–threetofivestories

High rise apartments / flats (six or more stories)

Other (SPECIFY)

F10. Not applicable

F11a. Would you describe your household as...Couple with no children

Couple with children at home

Single parent with children at home

Group / shared household

Other (SPECIFY)

F11b. Are the children in your household...Pre-school age

At school

Older–leftschool

F12. Were you born in Australia or overseas?Australia

Overseas

Don’t know / refused

F13. In which country were you born? United Kingdom / Ireland

New Zealand

Greece

Italy

Vietnam

China (mainland)

Hong Kong

Taiwan

Iran

Iraq

Lebanon

Palestine

Eritrea / Ethiopia

Somalia

Sudan

Other (SPECIFY)

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F14. When did you come to Australia?Before 1950

1950 - 1959

1960 -1969

1970 -1979

1980–1989

1990 - 1999

2000- 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009 / 2010

Refused

F15. Are you living here permanently or are you a temporary resident or student?Apermanentresident/Australiancitizen

A temporary resident or student

Other (SPECIFY)

F16. What is the main language your household usually speaks at home?English

Greek

Italian

Vietnamese

Chinese

Arabic

Sudanese

Other (SPECIFY)

F17. GenderMale

Female

Thank you for your help with this research which will inform future communications and educate householders to recycle more at home. Your views are important and we’re glad you made them known to us. Just in case you missed it, my name is ............................………., from the Wallis Consulting Group

* Copyright WRAP B1, B2, B3a, B4a, B5, C1, C2, C6, C8, D3, E1, E2, E4

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