Examining the Influence of Efficacy Beliefs on Participation in a Residential Curbside Recycling Scheme: Implications for the Use of Persuasive Messaging to Promote Sustainable Behaviours

This thesis examines participation in a household curbside recycling scheme and the influence that beliefs around the consequences of this behaviour have on participation. Using the Fishbein and Ajzen’s (2010) Reasoned Action Approach to create a model of the factors influencing behaviour, quantitative data are collected examining a variety of beliefs around the advantages and disadvantages of participation. Economic beliefs negatively correlate with behaviour while beliefs about reducing waste to landfill and preserving natural resources positively correlate with behaviour. A discussion of Ontario’s current recycling framework is also included and suggestions on areas for improvement are put forward.