A Zero Waste Community: Bridging

the Gap Between Goals and BehaviorsNicole Harman, Sustainability Office Manager

Aaron Witham, Director of SustainabilityGreen Mountain College

• Why is waste diversion important for creating sustainable communities?

• How can service learning projects be useful tools in advancing community development?

• Background on survey creation, sources, delivery, data collection and turning results into actionable steps

Learning Outcomes

Dash the Trash

● On July 1st, 2013 I decided I was not going to generate any waste for a year and that I would keep the waste that I did generate

● I also decided to be anti-consumerism and not purchase anything that was not necessary for survival

● I wanted to learn through the process and share my knowledge, so I started a blog called ‘Dash the Trash’

Independent Study Creation

• Wanted a structured way to learn about waste in relation to dash the trash

• 40% of grade based on service learning project

EconomicsPsychologyDesignPolicy

Act 148: The Universal Recycling Law

Will require:● Recyclables to be banned from landfill in 2015● Leaf, Yard and Clean Wood debris to be banned in 2016● Food Scraps to be banned in 2020

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/urresidents.htm

● Lowers Vermont’s GHG emissions (by 38%, projected)

● Increase recycling rates and lower need for landfills

● Conserves resources and reduces energy consumption

● Stimulates economic growth

● Supports the local food system

● Foster’s stronger community connections

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/urresidents.htm

Act 148: Purpose

But how will it be enforced?

• The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is responsible for enforcement

• Impossible to monitor everyone's disposal habits • Mainly hoping to change behavior surrounding waste

From Readings to Service Learning

● Osbaldiston et al. (2012) Meta-Analysis analyzed 87 published articles containing experimental treatments that measured increase or decrease in pro-environmental behavior (PEB)

● Meta-Analysis combined economic, design and psychological incentives for different pro-environmental behavior

● Using the analysis to guide question creation, I drafted a survey that would assess what would be the most effective incentives to increase town-wide composting and recycling rates

(Osbaldiston et al. 2012)

Survey DesignCommunity-Based Questions(#1-10):• Have community members heard of Act 148?• What should be factored into the design of a community compost

pick-up program?• How much compostable material is generated?• How much would participants be willing to pay for collection?• What accessible leverage points would convince community

members to divert waste from the landfill?

State-Wide Questions(#11-15):• If we could do anything to increase participation in waste

diversion programs, what would be most effective?• Monetary Incentives• Town-wide waste diversion goals• Community meetings regarding composting and

recycling• Curbside pick-up versus transfer station drop off• Easily Accessible Information• Cognitive Dissonance

Working With The Agency of Natural Resources● ANR will require municipalities to administer a survey to their

district assessing community knowledge of current waste disposal options

● Using my survey and research as a model, I worked with ANR to develop their survey that:o Assesses current knowledgeo Aims to educate community members about disposal options

and Act 148o Determines most effective incentives for compliance

Poultney as a PilotAfter survey was edited and finalized for piloting by ANR I administered it in Poultney● 31 Responses● Great insight into question redesign and refinement● Some very useful data

Data

● 100% of survey respondents currently recycle

● 74% respondents estimated that they currently recycle or compost 50% or more of their household waste

● 45% of respondents had heard of Act 148

6.5%

29%

64.5%

Incentives that were ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to influence waste

disposal• Free curbside pick-up of each material, 94%• Accessible drop-off location in 5-10 mile radius, 94%• There were well advertised collection events for each material

hosted bi annually in your community, 77%• Your town had town -wide waste-diversion goals with a firm

target and reporting system, 48%• You were provided with a brochure containing information about

how to dispose of each category of waste, 77%• You were provided with information outlining exactly where your

waste ends up and its effects on the environment, 71%

Turning Survey Results into Action

• I will continue to work with ANR to develop their survey that they will distribute to all municipalities in Vermont in the Spring

• Assist in the research and design of a certified composting facility at Green Mountain College to support composting efforts in Poultney

• Keep the conversation going with Poultney residents

Citations● Osbaldiston, Richard, and John P. Schott. "Environmental

Sustainability and Behavioral Science: Meta Analysis of Proenvironmental Behavior Experiments." Environment and Behavior 44.2 (2012): 278. Print.

● Folz, David H. and Joseph M. Hazlett. “Public Participation and Recycling Performance: Explaining Program Success.” Public Administration Review, Vol. 51, No. 6 (Nov. Dec., 1991), pp. 530. Print.

● Schultz, P. Wesley, and Stuart Oskamp. "Effort as a Moderator of the Attitude Behavior Relationship: General Environmental Concern and Recycling." Social Psychology Quarterly 59.4 (1996): pg.378. Print.

● http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/poultney.jpg