The effect of a weekly comingled kerbside collection service on household recycling in a gated community in Pretoria, South Africa

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.