Topic: Recycling and Environmental Issues
Background
The purpose of our first survey was not meant to be a serious survey, but rather one to test the waters with my friends and family on whatsapp before the website went live. The focus was on recycling and what their views and attitudes were to certain environmental topics. It was also an opportunity for me to draw up a survey using JOTFORM, an online form builder (https://www.jotform.com/myforms/) The survey was only with South Africans living in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, with the majority being from Gqeberha.
The results:
Comment: 64% answered that they recycled. This was a bit higher than what was expected. Had I asked total strangers and a wider demographic, I suspect the results might very well be different. It also doesn’t take into account that many respondents only recycled one or two items.
Comment: Glass was the most recycled item with 49%, followed by paper and cardboard, while only 24% of recyclers recycled plastic. The reason for less than a quarter recycling plastic is likely due to the confusion of the plastic categories, and manufacturers not always indicating on plastic products whether they can be recycled or not. It is evident from this survey that most recyclers choose which items they want to recycle, instead of recycling all possible items.
Comment: It is good to see the majority of recyclers rinse their dirty recycling items. Recycling business prefer it if you do. Labels should also be removed if possible
Comment: Recyclers and non-recyclers identified why recycling was such a difficult activity and chose multlple possibilities as reasons and/or excuses for not recycling. Over 60% either didnt know where to recycle or battled to find a drop off point near to their home. Just over 40% found the process inconvinient while 1/3 of potential recyclers said it took up space and that it required an effort on their part. For those who can afford it, a large number of recycling businesses are eager to take care of your recycling, for a fee.
Comment: 97% of respondents believe that recycling can assist the environment, while a few are still not on board. I assume we have many more doubters among us, and in a full survey the doubters will probably make up a much bigger group.
Comment: Most respondents (85%) are not following any environmental groups on social media. It is important to stay up to date on environmental issues so that you can understand the situation our planet is in, including climate change, global warming, possible species extinction, pollution, and many other important worldly issues.
Comment: A fairly large number of respondents still make use of paper towels and should be considering the use of cloths or rags to clean up their messes around the kitchen. Paper plates and cups appear to be used most often for picnics or braais.
Comment: The food leftovers question had respondents often choosing two options for how they handled their food leftovers. 45% saved their leftovers for later while 45% also put it directly into the bin. 27% looked for somebody who might benefit from the food, while others fed their dogs or chickens. Only 15% of respondents made use of a compost system.
Comment: It appears that around 88% of respondents prefer to take their own shopping bags when going to the Supermarket. In reality most tend to forget their bags at home from time to time and still end up buying plastic shopping bags. Those who buy the plastic bags find them cheap and convenient, while others find other uses for these bags, like using them as bin liners
Comment: Straws end up in landfills, littering our streets, parks, roadsides, rivers, lakes, oceans, and polluting our environment. Single-use straws can take up to 200 years to break down. Fast-food outlets and stores continue offering plastic single-use straws instead of environmentally friendly options. This is probably due to the environmental straws being more costly. On the other hand, no straw is still the cheapest option. At least the 36% refusing straws are making the effort.
Comment: The litter question had some strong responses. I personally would probably react differently to seeing someone litter, depending on my mood that day. In my view not confronting someone littering is enabling them. Hopefully, if they are confronted about it, they may think twice before doing it again. A number of respondents also said they would ask the person littering to pick it up, and if they didn’t, they would pick it up themselves. Sadly, 33% would simply ignore the punishable- by -a -fine- offense.
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