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1999 - WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WASTE

Attitude and awareness research into waste management and recycling, in collaboration with NOP Research Group Ltd

FOREWORD

What People Think About Waste 1999 is a nationally significant piece of research, conducted by NOP Research Group Ltd on behalf of Waste Watch, and supported by UK Waste Management Ltd through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme. In a nationally representative sample, 1,200 members of the public were interviewed by telephone in controlled conditions.

The report provides a comprehensive picture of public attitudes to waste disposal, awareness of current waste disposal practices, reactions to different waste disposal options, and the potential of education and communication to change the public's attitude and practices. At a time when national waste management strategies for all parts of the United Kingdom are under review, the research provides important insights into public opinion on waste issues, and highlights challenges for policy makers, industry, local government and the community sector.

The public has a more complex relationship with its waste than many people appreciate. Many people do express concern about what happens to their waste after they put it in the bin. Many people have no real understanding of the costs of waste disposal and collection - they significantly overestimate the current cost as part of their council tax bill. Recycling has almost universal acceptance as a waste disposal option - yet our national domestic recycling rate still hovers at around 7%. Incineration is quite widely accepted as a waste disposal option in a general way - but provided it is not in 'our own backyards'. A majority is prepared to consider separate charges per bin or bag for their household waste collection. Food for thought indeed for all concerned with waste policy.

Sustainable waste management is a more difficult goal than many appreciate. It involves changes in resource use, consumption patterns and waste treatment methods to optimise the potential of re-use and recycling, recognise the role of energy recovery, and minimise dependency on landfill. What is clear is that we all have much more to do to educate and communicate a range of options to the public and motivate the public to play its part.

Ray Georgeson
Executive Director
Waste Watch

1. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Waste Watch is a charitable organisation that seeks to promote action on waste reduction and recycling. It is part funded from the Department of the Environment's Transport and the Regions' Environmental Action Fund. In December 1997, Waste Watch commissioned a survey exploring the awareness, attitudes and behaviour of the general public regarding waste disposal and recycling. It was decided to repeat this survey in December 1998 and NOP Social & Political was once again commissioned to carry out this research.

The survey's broad objectives remained to ascertain public attitudes to waste disposal, especially recycling, and awareness of current waste practices. It also aimed to find out the actual behaviour of the public regarding recycling of household waste and their preferences for alternative options so that the best routes can be identified to encourage people to recycle more.

The survey methodology differed from 1997 in interviewing an expanded national sample of 1200 respondents, rather than comparing public attitudes to waste collection and recycling in particular local authorities in the UK which had differing waste management systems. Some questions were also added or omitted, but by leaving a large proportion unchanged the opportunity was created for comparisons with last year's 400 national sample interviews.

This report details the findings of the 1998 survey and, where appropriate, compares these with the findings from the 1997 general sample.

2. METHODOLOGY

Telephone interviews were conducted with 1200 adults, in a nationally representative sample spread across Great Britain. The contacts were obtained from telephone directories, with last digits randomly changed to ensure ex-directory numbers were included. Eligible respondents were those aged 18 or over.

Quotas were set based on the demographic profile of the UK population - age, working status (by sex) and home ownership. In line with quota requirements, the sample was fairly evenly spread across the age range, with slightly more women than men. Around half the sample were working. The table opposite shows the achievement against these quota targets.

Fieldwork was conducted between the 8th and 23rd December 1998, from NOP's Wimbledon telephone interviewing centre. CATI (computer assisted telephone interviewing) was used for enhanced accuracy and control. Also, use of the QTS dialler (Quantime Telephony System) brought efficiency savings, through ensuring interviewers were only presented with a contact once the telephone has been answered.

Interviewers were fully briefed before starting work on the survey. At least four attempts to recall were made before a piece of sample was put to one side.

In this report the equivalent figures for the 1997 survey have always been included if the question was asked, but the differences between the surveys are only statistically significant (using the 95% confidence interval) if specifically stated. By contrast, all differences between sub-groups discussed in the report are statistically significant unless noted otherwise.

A copy of the questionnaire, together with a detailed response analysis, is appended.

 Quota Targets vs. Achievals

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