Household organic waste: Integrate psychosocial factors to define strategies toward a circular economy

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2022-12, Vol.378, p.134446, Article 134446
• Main Authors: Celestino, Érika, Carvalho, Ana, Palma-Oliveira, José Manuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Circular economy; Household organic waste; Psychosocial factors; Recycling behaviour
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134446

Fast and uncontrolled population growth, combined with increasing urbanisation and the negative effects of modern lifestyles, has left cities facing numerous challenges. One of the challenges is the production of urban waste on a large scale. According to goals established in Directive (2008)/851, all European Member States should ensure that biowaste is separated at the source by December 31, 2023. This directive aims to improve household and organic waste programmes and ensure a progressive transition towards a circular economy. In this context, the active participation of citizens is fundamental. This paper aims to identify, analyse, and integrate into a comprehensive framework, how psychosocial factors have been presented in the literature. Socio-demographic characteristics and communicational/educational interventions on household organic waste are also examined, along with how circular economy principles can be applied to organic waste management. A systematic literature review was performed to develop the new framework. The results of the study highlight that researchers who have published on the subject have mainly focused on infrastructural issues, and only 23% of the reviewed articles addressed one or more psychosocial factors. Moreover, household, organic waste separation behaviour is influenced by levels of education as well as perceived convenience and social norms. On the other hand, the results show that it is not possible to state with scientific precision the effective impact of communication and education campaigns on this type of behaviour. The proposed framework is useful to guide policymakers in defining strategies for waste prevention. Furthermore, researchers and practitioners can benefit, since scientific knowledge on household organic waste has been summarised and conceptualised, providing recommendations for future research paths. [Display omitted] •Systematic literature review on household organic waste management.•Psychosocial and socio-demographic factors influence organic waste management.•A new framework was proposed to identify dimensions' impact on Directive 2008/851.•The framework supports the definition of strategies for organic waste management.