havior. Research findings regarding the relationship between recycling attitudes and recycling behaviors have been generally consistent with general attitude-behavior theories, showing a significant, though relatively small relationship (Schultz et al., 1995). In explaining what ideas other than pure environmentalism shape people’s recycling attitudes Huhtala sites reasons given in his surveys which were not purely environmental. Recycling was also seen to represent “a viable alternative for a throw-away society’s wasteful lifestyle” (1999).In addition to the growing number of materials being recycled today, there have been changes in the typical types of recycling programs, from short-term campaigns and drop off programs, to voluntary curb-side collection, and later to community wide recycling, with recycled materials either being separated by the household or commingled (placed in a single container, rather than separated by type).Despite procedural differences, most recycling programs have one thing in common – reliance on individual participation (Shultz et al.,1995). In attempting to develop reliable and sustainable ways to reduce the amount of trash buried in landfills, scientists, policy-makers, and community leaders need to understand the factors that lead people to recycle.One specific attitude that has been clearly shown to affect behavior is satisfaction (or lack thereof) with local environmental conditions and governmental environmental policies. Individuals’ dissatisfaction with the condition of the environment and their expectation of positive changes in the quality of their environment predicted their subsequent level of participation in environmental activism. So, regarding the connection between attitude and behavior, dissatisfaction or annoyance with environmental problems can be seen as a motivational factor leading to activism. It can also prove to be a significant determinant of e...
