How Might We Solve the Problem of Waste Recycling
The problem of waste recycling remains a pressing issue in modern society. New forms of recycling need to be developed so that everyone could participate in the process and contribute to making the planet environmentally safer. For this reason, opportunities for personal contribution to waste recycling have to be sought (Liu et al., 2017). Currently, there are several questions to be answered concerning the improvement of the recycling process. Specifically, one will have to define how to incentivise people to accept a new behaviour that will make them create less waste. In addition, the opportunities for increasing the probability of change in people’s waste management behaviours need to be discovered. Thus, the overall rate of waste will drop, and the number of environmental concerns will become significantly lesser.
Furthermore, the management of waste needs to be connected to a theoretically approved approach to behaviour change. Specifically, the action-outcome model, which allows leveraging the input and the output of a particular intervention will be needed. Adopting the described tool, one will shift the focus of the process from the broad and mostly understandable idea of being environmentally aware to more relatable personal ideas. As a result, citizens are expected to become highly motivated in following the principles of sustainability in waste management and accept the suggested strategies for keeping the levels of waste at the minimum level.
Another critical step would be to reconsider the rate of goods production. Due to the necessity to remain competitive, companies produce an excessive amount of goods, which implies huge rates of waste. By measuring the actual needs of buyers and tailoring the manufacturing process to the specified needs, one will reduce the extent of waste.
Personas Solving the Problem of Waste Recycling
When approaching the problem of waste management, one will have to consider the types of people to whom the newly developed sustainability policy will have to appeal. For this purpose, two types of personalities that contribute to the waste rate most will have to be selected and analysed. Specifically, one should pay attention to the personas of a career-driven middle-class young man and an outgoing, positive, educated young woman. The latter persona, with an alias of Lycinda Monroe, can be persuaded to choose an environmentally friendly lifestyle outlined above, thus reducing a significant amount of waste, quite easily. In addition, the presence of hope for the future and high levels of enthusiasm in Lycinda make it fairly easy to introduce the specified character to the idea of changing her behaviour and habits in order to address the lack of sustainability in the current use of resources.
The other type of persona that may have a tangible impact on the levels of waste once their behaviour is changed is a young, middle-class man (Donald Bolsonaro), whose main priorities include family, financial stability, career, and his social status. The specified type of personality can be characterised as wanting to seem superficial, yet the impact that he produces as a consumer is quite large. With the need for honest relationships and recognition, as well as the support of his family, the specified persona can be persuaded by using the power of social influence. By utilising different types of modern media, one can introduce the specified type of people to the idea of sustainable living and the need for nature conservation, specifically, the change in behaviours and the focus on effective waste management.
Reference List
Liu, Y., Kong, F., & Gonzalez, E. D. S. 2017. Dumping, waste management and ecological security: Evidence from England. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, pp. 1425-1437.