Targeted intervention strategies to optimise diversion of BMW in the Dublin, Ireland region

Interventions to promote household waste segregation: A systematic review

Waste segregation at source, particularly at the household level, is an integral component of sustainable solid waste management, which is a critical public health issue. Although multiple interventions have been published, often with contradictory findings, few authors have conducted a comprehensive systematic synthesis of the published literature. Therefore, we undertook a systematic review to synthesize all published interventions conducted in any country in the world which targeted household-level waste segregation with or without additional focus on recycling or composting. Following PRISMA guidelines, Web of Science, Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar were searched using a search strategy created by combining the keywords 'Waste', 'Segregation', and 'Household'. Two-stage blinded screening and consensus-based conflict resolution were done, followed by quality assessment, data extraction, and narrative synthesis. 8555 articles were identified through the database searches and an additional 196 through grey literature and citation searching. After excluding 2229 duplicates and screening title abstracts of 6522 articles, 283 full texts were reviewed, and 78 publications reporting 82 intervention studies were included in the data synthesis. High methodological heterogeneity was seen, excluding the possibility of a meta-analysis. Most (n = 60) of the interventions were conducted in high-income countries. Interventions mainly focused on information provision. However, differences in the content of information communicated and mode of delivery have not been extensively studied. Finally, our review showed that the comparison of informational interventions with provision of incentives and infrastructural modifications needs to be explored in-depth. Future studies should address these gaps and, after conducting sufficient formative research, should aim to design their interventions following the principles of behaviour change.

Influencing household-level waste-sorting and composting behaviour: What works? A systematic review (1995-2020) of waste management interventions

Decentralized waste sorting and composting can divert almost two-thirds of household waste from landfill. However, national rates of composting and recycling remain low in many parts of the globe. This review critically evaluates the design and efficacy of behaviour-change interventions to influence households to sort and compost organic waste. The systematic literature search yielded 3595 titles and abstracts which were reviewed and resulted in 14 unique interventions. The social marketing benchmark criteria are utilized to critically examine the design of these interventions. Synthesized results indicate a need for customized interventions that are co-designed with users and tailored to address their specific needs and challenges. Interventions with four or more social marketing elements produced positive behavioural outcomes, albeit with varying impact. This review highlights gaps in the design of waste management interventions and provides suggestions for future practices.

Persistent Droughts and Water Scarcity: Households’ Perceptions and Practices in Makhanda, South Africa

Households in many cities worldwide consume substantial amounts of water, but increasing aridity will result in serious water supply challenges in the future. In South Africa, droughts are now a common phenomenon, with severe implications on water supply for urban households. Developing interventions to minimise the impacts of drought requires understanding of users’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use practices, and participation in water conservation practices. Using household surveys across different income groups (low, medium, and high) in Makhanda, South Africa, this study investigates households’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use, and conservation practices as a basis for designing pathways for sustainable water use practices. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of households were aware of water scarcity and attributed it to poor municipal planning rather than drought and wasteful use practices. Households reported good water use behaviour, but wasteful practices (e.g., regular flushing of toilets) were evident. Gender, age, education, and environmental awareness influenced water use practices, but the relationships were generally weak. Households participated in water conservation measures but felt the local municipal authority lagged in addressing water supply challenges. The implications of the study are discussed.