Attitudes and Behaviors of College Students in Regards to the Environment and Recycling

Recycling is a well-researched topic in various disciplines such as waste management, environment, psychology, consumer behavior and marketing. Past studies seem to suggest that demographic characteristics, gender in particular, influence recycling behaviors. Others cite the role of work environment in promoting favorable attitudes toward recycling and encouraging recycling behaviors. School and college students represent a critical population that can be influenced to adopt recycling behaviors. In this study we report a field experiment conducted in a large university. We found the origin of individual recycling behavior and the amount of accumulated experience to significantly impact current attitudes and behaviors. We cautiously conclude that early intervention is likely to have a lasting impact on future attitudes and behaviors.