SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF RECYCLING The Structure of Conservation Satisfactions

This article focuses on sati:sfactions derived from the recycling of household solid waste materials. Data from 107 respondents to a mail-back questionnaire were subjected to dimension~1 analysis and analysis of variance. The results indicate that people derive a series ofseparate and distinct satisfactions from both recycling and reusing materials. The satisfactions were quite specific, involving, for exampl·e, frugality and participation. These findings suggest that our understanding of why people bother to conserve resources may be improved by investigating the personal satisfactions derived from conservation activities. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to acknowledgs' support from the University of Michigan Office ofEnergy Research (Project No. 65) and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR, Vol. 18 No.4, July 1986 435-449 c 1986 Sage Publications, Inc.