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Household Waste Sorting at the Source ThesisThesis for forthe the Degree Degree of Doctor of Doctor of Philosophy of Philosophy HOUSEHOLDHOUSEHOLD WASTE WASTE SORTING SORTING ATAT THE THE SOURCE SOURCE A Aprocedure procedure for for improvement improvement KamranKamran Rousta Rousta SwedishSwedish Centre Centre for forResource Resource Recovery Recovery UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF OFBORÅS BORÅS Borås,Borås, Sweden Sweden 2018 2018 Abstract Sustainable waste management systems are needed to handle the increasing amount of household waste across the globe. EU Waste Hierarchy as a strategy could manage this issue, where reducing the waste is preferred to recycling which is, in turn, preferred to generating energy from the waste. Increased material recycling in a household waste management system is a challenging task that involves both social and technical aspects. The intersection of these two aspects is a key part of source separation i.e., separating the waste where it is generated. Some Swedish stakeholders, including recycling companies and landlords, felt that material recycling was challenging due to the lack of an analysis tool that can help improve the source separation system at the local level. The central point of this thesis focuses on creating an analysis tool that can be used to improve sorting at the source in any waste collection system. The objectives were to answer the following research questions: 1) How can the current sorting behaviour be evaluated? 2) How can appropriate interventions for improving this behaviour be identified? 3) How can the effect of interventions be assessed? A participatory research based on Action Research framework (Look, Think, Act) was designed in a pilot area in the city of Borås, Sweden. Data was collected based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods since recycling behaviour is a complex phenomenon. Pick analysis (waste composition study) was found to be a relevant method to Copyright © Kamran Rousta evaluate the recycling behaviour and assess the effects of interventions in a recycling scheme. Similarly, using interviews strengthened the understanding of the need of inhabitants to Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery University of Borås participate in the source separation system in order to identify effective interventions. A SE‐501 90 Borås, Sweden Recycling Behaviour Transition (RBT) procedure was developed based on the pilot study. Digital version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva‐12821 The RBT procedure proved to be an effective tool for improving recycling behaviour. Also, ISBN 978‐91‐88269‐68‐3 (printed) the procedure was designed for being adaptable for any waste separation system. It was ISSN 978‐91‐88269‐69‐0 (pdf) ISSN 0280‐381X, Skrifter från Högskolan i Borås, nr. 84 concluded that the factors influencing recycling behaviour are complex and sensitive to local circumstances and individual perceptions. Therefore, the RBT procedure helps identify the Cover Photo: City of Borås, by Kamran Rousta appropriate interventions based on the local context. Printed in Sweden by Responstryck AB Borås 2018 Data collected in the pilot area revealed that the convenience factors in recycling behaviour are crucial for improving participation in the recycling scheme. By placing recycling containers close to the vicinity of waste generation, which is a convenience factor, iii ii Abstract Sustainable waste management systems are needed to handle the increasing amount of household waste across the globe. EU Waste Hierarchy as a strategy could manage this issue, where reducing the waste is preferred to recycling which is, in turn, preferred to generating energy from the waste. Increased material recycling in a household waste management system is a challenging task that involves both social and technical aspects. The intersection of these two aspects is a key part of source separation i.e., separating the waste where it is generated. Some Swedish stakeholders, including recycling companies and landlords, felt that material recycling was challenging due to the lack of an analysis tool that can help improve the source separation system at the local level. The central point of this thesis focuses on creating an analysis tool that can be used to improve sorting at the source in any waste collection system. The objectives were to answer the following research questions: 1) How can the current sorting behaviour be evaluated? 2) How can appropriate interventions for improving this behaviour be identified? 3) How can the effect of interventions be assessed? A participatory research based on Action Research framework (Look, Think, Act) was designed in a pilot area in the city of Borås, Sweden. Data was collected based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods since recycling behaviour is a complex phenomenon. Pick analysis (waste composition study) was found to be a relevant method to evaluate the recycling behaviour and assess the effects of interventions in a recycling scheme. Similarly, using interviews strengthened the understanding of the need of inhabitants to participate in the source separation system in order to identify effective interventions. A Recycling Behaviour Transition (RBT) procedure was developed based on the pilot study. The RBT procedure proved to be an effective tool for improving recycling behaviour. Also, the procedure was designed for being adaptable for any waste separation system. It was concluded that the factors influencing recycling behaviour are complex and sensitive to local circumstances and individual perceptions. Therefore, the RBT procedure helps identify the appropriate interventions based on the local context. Data collected in the pilot area revealed that the convenience factors in recycling behaviour are crucial for improving participation in the recycling scheme. By placing recycling containers close to the vicinity of waste generation, which is a convenience factor, iii the miss-sorted fraction decreased by up to 28% (wt%). Similarly, easy access to relevant Preface information is another intervention that significantly improved the recycling behaviour in the pilot area. Furthermore, it was concluded that Action Research, as a participatory methodology, is particularly appropriate when seeking the link between social and technical Nearing completion, I thought why did I choose this topic and what was my thought factors in waste management. processing, when I wanted to focus this particular area of research. The answer lies within my roots when I started my first summer job in my father’s factory. I was a practitioner, learning Keywords: recycling behaviour, source separation, waste management, resource recovery, different types of machinery and finding solutions to complex problems was sowed in when I household waste, waste composition study, waste sorting, waste collection, was 12. Later, I became an entrepreneur after graduating from Mechanical Engineering; separate collection, municipal solid waste, circular economy designing and construction of boilers, tanks and steel structures. The engineer in me learnt to solve and analyse problems from real-life experiences. For personal reasons, I had shut the business and moved to Sweden to start schooling again after 10 years. Moving to Sweden changed my life radically where I found myself as a changer. My master thesis reviewed solid waste management system in Borås that opened a new window of opportunities. I concluded that waste sorting at home requires a system/tool that involves the end users i.e., inhabitants for an efficient operation. Personally, I like to solve a problem and see the changes in the society than just identifying it. Kurt Lewin, the German- American psychologist in Action Research once said: “No research without action, no action without research” and this motto represented my research. The different hats which I wore in the early part of my life including the roles of practitioner, engineer and changer helped me in grounding this research. I used existing methodologies to solve a particular problem, while I tried understanding different theories from a scientific perspective. This thesis was performed wearing those different hats that present the rationale for this study, justification of methods, followed by how to conduct them, and a discussion of important finding with remarks and conclusion. Some by-products were obtained during the course of this thesis including the pilot area got new garbage bins, a facility for waste sorting closer to their apartment building, barbeque place and play area for children. The stakeholders including property owner, waste management company and inhabitants have started to harvest the fruits out of this research. Moreover, neighbouring cities also started using the results as a part of their waste management activity. This study equally impacted me as a researcher learning qualitative methods, analysing data from a perspective I never looked into. I’m not a social scientist, however; I tried understanding their methods and draw an applicable conclusion out of it. The engineer in me v iv Preface Nearing completion, I thought why did I choose this topic and what was my thought processing, when I wanted to focus this particular area of research. The answer lies within my roots when I started my first summer job in my father’s factory. I was a practitioner, learning different types of machinery and finding solutions to complex problems was sowed in when I was 12. Later, I became an entrepreneur after graduating from Mechanical Engineering;
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