Biowaste Non-Sorters : who cares. Examining arguments and factors from citizens not sorting biowaste in Copenhagen and recommendations for a way forward

Abstract: The Danes’ have the highest municipal waste generation per capita in the European Union and it is estimated that 40% of residual waste is biowaste. Fortunately, it is possible to address environmental pressures and counteract resource loss from incineration by the process of bio-gasification of collected biowaste in Denmark. However, despite efforts to reduce barriers of convenience and accessibility in a newly implemented biowaste sorting scheme, 24% of Copenhageners do not sort biowaste. This study aimed to examine influences contributing to and/or reinforcing non-sorting practices and therefore asked: what influences people to not sort biowaste in Copenhagen? Studies provide limited evidence of socio-economic or demographic characteristics for (non)recyclers. Still, non-sorters tend to be portrayed, in Danish grey literature, as one group, the “indifferent”, who are unwilling to sort. Therefore, limited in-depth knowledge exists about nonsorters in Copenhagen. This study is based on a social-environmental problem-solving perspective, and its findings support a solution-oriented way forward. Interviews with 11 non-sorting households provided first-hand insight into what influences the citizens. Findings across respondents showed that practical, societal and rational arguments, as well as numerous distinctive factors, influenced their non-sorting practices. However, what influence respondents not to sort are neither simple within individual households nor across. From this, examining individual households’ most influential factors, findings showed factors relating to practical arguments are most numerous, but suggest that factors related to societal and rational arguments are highly influential when present, despite small in numbers. Further, five of the 11 households had previously sorted biowaste, but stopped, which supports studies suggesting that a strict distinction of sorters and non-sorters is an erroneous dichotomy. Moreover, questions of scale and fear of freeriding, challenges the positive biowaste-environment correlation found, which have altruistic potential. The findings suggest that seeing non-sorters homogenously gives an incomplete understanding, and considering heterogeneity unravelled non-sorters who care, know and are willing to sort biowaste. Thus interventions in line with the findings could push for more sorting, hence a list of recommendations was created. Knowledge accumulated could benefit policy-makers and stakeholders working within the field municipal waste management and resource recovery in Copenhagen and similar cities.