Attitudinal Determinants of Recycling Behavior: At Home and on Vacation Jason D. Oliver Assistant Professor of Marketing College of Business East Carolina University Stefanie K. Benjamin Graduate Student MS in Sustainable Tourism

Introduction: Recycling as a Green Behavior A study examining post purchase behavior…Recycling Consumers are motivated to recycle by a desire to reduce pollution, avoid waste, conserve energy and improve the future (Howenstine, 1990) Noneconomic external incentives (actual and perceived social influence) stimulate recycling (Hornik, Cherian, Madansky & Narayana, 1995) Tourists are expecting green practices to be included within their vacation experience (Chafe & Honey, 2005)

Barriers to Recycling Behavior Consumer ignorance, misunderstanding, and confusion (Hornik, et al., 1995) Inconvenience as main barrier Required time and effort Collection, washing, sorting as obstacles (Howenstone, 1990)

Outer Banks (OBX), North Carolina 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina Environmentally sensitive vacation destination Over 210,000 visitors come and go each week in the summer. - Blackbeard the Pirate lived, pirated, and died on the Outer Banks The waters off the shores of the Outer Banks are known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" where over 500 ships have gone down Dare County is the only North Carolina county that has its own glass crusher. Out of 100 North Carolina counties, Dare County ranked No. 1 last year for per-capita recycling. This ranking is somewhat skewed because it is based on the weight of recyclables per year-round resident and does not count seasonal population numbers.

Methodology Online survey (N = 200) promoted by local visitor's center at tourist destination Rate how often they recycle at home & on vacation Indicate amount of waste and what they recycle Perceptions of whether recycling is worth the effort and attitudes toward recycling If on vacation asked Did location have recycling bins/instructions on how to recycle? If not recycling… why not? Demographics Rate how often they recycle At home on a scale of 1 (never) to 5 (always) On vacation on a scale of 1 (never) to 5 (always) On vacation: where they were staying and whether the location had recycling bins and instructions on how to recycle On vacation: whether they recycled and if not why not.

Summary of Results Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender Dependent Variables Predictors Supported? H1: Recycling Frequency at Home a. Environmental Values No Never - Always b. Environmental Self-Efficacy Yes c. Recycling Attitudes d. Recycling Worth Effort H2: Items Recycled at Home cardboard, paper, glass, cans, etc… - always close at n = 50, 25% - Strongly agree that tourists have a responsibility to help protect environment (71%) Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender

Summary of Results Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender Dependent Variables Predictors Supported? H3: Familiarity with Policies a. Environmental Values No Glass crusher, plastic bags & glass bottles in the Outer Banks b. Environmental Self-Efficacy c. Recycling Attitudes d. Recycling Worth Effort H4: Attitudes toward Green Practices Perceived importance of green practices in the Outer Banks Yes - always close at n = 50, 25% - Strongly agree that tourists have a responsibility to help protect environment (71%) Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender

Summary of Results Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender Dependent Variables Predictors Supported? H5: Recycling Frequency on Vacation a. Environmental Values Yes Never - Always b. Environmental Self-Efficacy No c. Recycling Attitudes d. Recycling Worth Effort H6: Recycling Frequency Home vs. Vacation Vacation/Home - always close at n = 50, 25% - Strongly agree that tourists have a responsibility to help protect environment (71%) Covariates: Age, Income, Education, Gender

Descriptives 71% of visitors answered that they always recycle at home, n = 144 27 % of respondents usually recycle on vacation, n = 55 Strongly agree that recycling is: Important (79%) Effective way to reduce waste (80%) Conserve natural resources (72%) Right thing to do (79%) - always close at n = 50, 25% - Strongly agree that tourists have a responsibility to help protect environment (71%)

Descriptives (continued) 43% Recycle more than half of material generated Items Recycled Most Plastic Bottles (88%) Cardboard (86%) Aluminum Cans (86%) Glass bottles (84%) Newspapers (80%) 43% Always Recycle during Outer Banks visit Limitation: 68% n = 133 call OBX primary residence 27% usually recycle on vacation (never… always )

Why Respondent Did Not Recycle During Visit Other 20.7% Always Recycle 51.7% Recycling Facilities Not Easily Accessible 27.6% I didn't know how/where to recycle (30%) “Need to sort items keep them in your own personal bin then drive them to the ranger office, gets smelly when you are camping in the heat. They should have recycling containers next to all the garbage bins in Billy Mitchell Campground in Frisco makes it much more convenient.” “A large hassle to find out the times for the drop off at the KDH facility. Some years I have, this year I just didn't have time at the end.”

Implications Respondents want to recycle… as long as it is easy, convenient, and easily accessible Vacation rental companies can provide recycle bins in homes for easier access Opportunity for “green” rental properties Recycling bins throughout communities Vacation rentals must monitor recycling bins so that they don’t overflow Can offer incentive program If I place recycle bins in the house you will recycle? YES!

Future Research Comparison of coastal communities like OBX Key West, FL Virginia Beach, VA Implications of recycling behavior on green product/service adoption Product Disposal (Post-Purchase) Under Researched Volunteer Employed Photography Technique - VEP Technique… have local residents of OBX take photographs (with disposable cameras) of what they like & dislike about OBX compared to tourists likes & dislikes of OBX… see whether recycling would make a difference in trying to protect the natural environment. Does recycling really make a difference with the current deterioration of the beach?

Special Thanks…

Questions? Jay D. Oliver oliverj@ecu.edu Stefanie Benjamin benjamins09@students.ecu.edu