ABSTRACT

As has been stressed throughout this book, environmental policy requires people’s active involvement, and many obligations are therefore expressed in household-related activities. The most commonly cited example of such an activity is the sorting of household waste. Recycling rates have increased consistently over time in most industrialized countries, and people are generally very willing to increase their recycling efforts even further. Even though it is often stressed that the sacrifices households make – not least in terms of time – may be substantial (e.g. Bruvoll et al, 2002), Skill and Wihlborg (Chapter 3 in this volume) note that household recycling may often be an excuse for household members not to undertake other pro-environmental activities. Moreover, recycling is typically a well-integrated activity in various ‘household projects’ (such as family meals), and it is often easy to perform recycling activities in daily life (e.g. if drop-off recycling stations are located close to large shopping centres). In this sense recycling takes a prominent role in the environmental consciousness of many households (see also Skill, 2008), and the separation of household waste appears to be a cost-effective way to take environmental responsibility.