The ISB model (infrastructure, service, behaviour): a tool for waste practitioners.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Policy
• Waste Management
• Behavioural Science

Background:

• UK faces pressure from the EU Landfill Directive and climate change mitigation goals.
• Current recycling strategies, including alternate weekly collections, are insufficient to meet national targets.
• Behaviour change interventions often overlook situational barriers, limiting their effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of behaviour-centric approaches in waste management.
• To identify key factors influencing household recycling participation.
• To propose an improved model for waste practitioners to plan recycling interventions.

Main Methods:

• Literature analysis on waste management and recycling behaviour.
• Empirical studies on recycling participation in Portsmouth.
• Development and application of the Infrastructure, Service, and Behaviour (ISB) model.

Main Results:

• A behaviour-centric approach alone has limited impact on recycling rates.
• The ISB model identifies three critical clusters for effective recycling: infrastructure, service, and behaviour.
• Current 'business as usual' interventions, even with behaviour change, may only achieve 50% national recycling.

Conclusions:

• Effective recycling requires a holistic approach addressing infrastructure, service, and behaviour.
• The ISB model offers a practical tool for waste practitioners to design better interventions.
• Achieving zero waste necessitates upstream interventions that alter the situational landscape, not just individual behaviour.