Assessing the clear bag initiative as a waste management strategy in the HRM

Abstract

This thesis outlines how social psychology can act as a tool for understanding environmental attitudes and behaviours. When an onset of changes were approved to By-Law-600 on February 3, 2014, curbside collection regulations would include a clear bag program(CBP) as of August 1,2015. At the time of the announcements, local news reports alluded to some residential pushback. To assess whether the program has been an effective waste management strategy as a structural fix, this research collected online and door-to-door surveys, as well as conducted an interview with HRM Solid Waste Manager Matthew Keliher. The results reveal that by and large, residents have adjusted to the changes a year and a half after implementation. Suggesting the structural and educational approach in combination has proved to be an effective waste management strategy in the HRM.