Applied behaviour analysis and student recycling behaviour

Abstract

With the introduction of European Union (EU) regulations on waste targets, the UK is committed to reducing waste, recycling and reusing policies. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) techniques have been used to alter pro-environmental behaviour with varying success Antecedent Strategies such as information, goal setting and modelling aim to influence factors that may affect behaviours before they occur. Consequence or reinforcement strategies mainly offer rewards for the performance of a pro-environmental behaviour - for example prizes and monetary incentives, and also feedback in the form of continuous information upon recycling. Studies were carried out in 6 student villages with a total population of approximately 900 students, over a period of two academic years. Multiple baseline designs were used and after baseline measurements different interventions were introduced for groups of households. The research aim of this thesis was to identify the key behavioural components that make up recycling in students and to test possible Applied Behaviour Analysis techniques to adjust these behaviours. The research identified three key behavioural components that make up appropriate recycling. These are the correct sorting of targeted items from non-targeted items also known as contamination; the ongoing output of these targeted items, to make up a large percentage of the waste produced, also known as the amounts produced and the movement of the bin to get these items collected by the waste collecting authorities. The study investigated the effects of information, prompts, social interventions, continuous feedback and incentives on these three key behavioural components. The schemes such as information and door-stepping, currently used by the Borough Council, were tested and found not suitable for students. Without interventions, there were high levels of contamination, no bin movement and moderate amounts being collected from bins. It was, however, found that continuous feedback interventions reduced contamination significantly, to 0% to 2% of contaminated bins. Furthermore a raffle scheme whereby one of the brought-out bins was rewarded with a small value voucher increased bin movement from 0% to above 60%. The amounts collected varied and were not found to be changed significantly by the interventions. It has to be assumed that problems with the other two behaviour components would overshadow the actual recycling rate of the students. The study concludes that recycling behaviour in students is made up by three distinct key behaviours which can be adjusted with different techniques influencing the antecedents and consequences.

Date of Award	Jul 2012
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department of Employment and Learning (DEL)
Supervisor	Julian Leslie (Supervisor) & Stephen Gallagher (Supervisor)