Survey finds fewer people say they are recycling

Results of the latest study have just been published. Carried out in October 2001, it found that 16% of those polled admitted to recycling nothing at all, which is up from 13% in the previous survey carried out a year earlier.

Some 31% said they recycled “only a small amount” – down from 35%.
Asked why they do not do more, a third of households who said they recycle nothing, or “only a small amount”, said they could not be bothered. Three in ten said their nearest site was too far away, while 16% said they meant to do more, but just never get round to it.

Yellow Pages report that the survey found that just over half – 53% – of UK households do claim to recycle everything or “quite a lot”. This is similar to the 53% recorded in the previous survey. Of those who do recycle, the latest survey shows an increase in the recycling of newspapers and magazines, glass, cardboard, plastics and garden produce.

Benefit
The majority of people surveyed – eight out of ten – buy recycled goods with recycled toilet paper top of the poll. And 60% of all respondents are willing to pay more for goods with a perceived environmental benefit.

When asked what was the most polluting item they use, one in five people singled out their car, 39% of whom would be willing to swap it for something more environmental.

Half of all people are interested in knowing about a company’s environmental track record and 12% have boycotted a company because of it. But the perception amongst almost a quarter is that companies are doing more for the environment today than they were five years ago.

Green heroes
Asked to name the nation’s “green heroes”, 29% cited the environmental organisation, Greenpeace and 4%, Friends of the Earth. Meanwhile oil and petro-chemical companies are seen as environmental “villains”.

On the issue of recycling of Yellow Pages, 39% of those questioned recycle their directory, with the South East and South West regions improving their performance to top the directory recycling league. Scotland remains at the bottom.

Yellow Pages sponsors The Directory Recycling Scheme which works with local authorities to increase the opportunities for recycling Yellow Pages across the UK. Further information can be obtained from www.yellgroup.com or by calling the Directory Recycling Helpline on 0800 671 444.