Abstract:
Gated communities is a growing phenomenon in South Africa and abroad. The enclosed
and private nature of gated communities poses certain challenges to recycling. Using the Theory
of Planned Behaviour, we examine the effect of a weekly comingled kerbside collection service
on household recycling in a gated community. We used an ex post facto design and surveyed
and compared recycling behaviour across two separate, but comparable communities; Boardwalk
Meander, with no service, and Silver Lakes, with a service. Factor analyses validated the construct
‘perceived behavioural control’ in both settings. Households in Silver Lakes were more than three
times likely to recycle in comparison to Boardwalk Meander. Multivariate Analysis of Variance
suggests that the service had an overall significant effect on attitude, subjective norm and control.
Post hoc tests suggest that recyclers in Silver Lakes felt equally positive, but more pressured and
able to recycle, as compared to recyclers in Boardwalk Meander. Significantly more recyclers and
non-recyclers in Silver Lakes felt they had enough space to recycle, as compared to their counterparts
in Boardwalk Meander, even though house and yard sizes were the same across the two settings.
We conclude with policy, planning and design recommendations for facilitating comingled kerbside
collection in gated communities.
