An exploration of citizen’s attitudes towards waste recycling within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.ABSTRACT The success of municipal waste recycling highly depends on the attitudes and participation of individuals as citizens, to separate waste from source. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of citizens of UMhlathuze Local Municipality in Kwazulu-Natal, towards waste recycling. Understanding which attitudes shape the behaviour of the citizens with regards to waste recycling is essential for the municipality to achieve waste recycling targets. For this study, the quantitative research approach and combination of stratified, random and convenient sampling method were applied. The research involved 322 respondents from the three suburbs of the uMhlathuze Local Municipality: Meerensee, Aquadene and Esikhawini. The respondents were both male and female above 19 years of age. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaire distributed to the citizens of the 3 selected suburbs of the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis conducted revealed that there are no statistical significant association between overall waste recycling behaviour and overall recycling attitude among the respondents, both those who separate waste for recycling and those who do not. However, the socio-demographic variables tested revealed that gender, nationality and income category are statistically significantly associated with recycling behaviour. General concern for the environment, culture and beliefs were significant predictors of negative or positive attitudes towards waste recycling. From the analysis, recommendations were made for uMhlathuze Local Municipality: to provide adequate recycling facility to create and sustain a recycling culture, implement penalties to instil recycling beliefs and incentives to motivate citizens. This research might probably guide the management of the municipality to reinforce attitudes, which promote desirable behaviours and overcome the attitudes hampering recycling behaviour among citizens in the municipality. Key words: citizens; attitudes; recycling behaviour; municipal waste.Abstract available in the PDF