10.2190/4NWX-W3BD-0GNY-PG1H 4NWXW3BD0GNYPG1H 1 Green Waste Recycling: A Growing System For Conserving the Environment 331 343 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 4NWXW3BD0GNYPG1H.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=4NWXW3BD0GNYPG1H 4 Stuart Oskamp Sally Augustin Claremont Graduate University, California As landfill space becomes scarcer, green waste recycling has emerged as a promising form of recycling. Green waste (grass clippings, leaves, and branches) constitutes 18 percent of the U. S. solid waste stream and can surpass 40 percent in leafy rural and suburban areas. Although community-wide green waste recycling has been legislated in at least twenty-three states, it has scarcely been studied in social science research. This article describes green waste recycling in the eighty-eight cities of Los Angeles County and twelve nearby cities in San Bernardino County. Telephone interviews with knowledgeable city officials yielded a 94 percent response rate and covered all major aspects of current and planned programs. Results indicated that thirty-four of the ninety-four cities had green waste recycling programs as of mid-1995, and that thirty-five additional cities planned to start them in the future. the estimated average household participation rate was 65 percent, but no systematic studies of participation had been made. In nineteen cities supplying data, the annual amount of green waste recycled averaged 6,300 tons per year. On average, cities estimated that they were diverting 15 percent of their solid waste stream from landfills through green waste recycling. Seven cities reported the potential to generate income from their programs, but only one (a city of 80,000) had received any, earning $300,000 last year. A. Taylor and R. Kashmanian, <i>Study and Assessment of Eight Yard Waste Compost Programs in the United States</i> (EPA Publication No. 530-SW-89-038), U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D. C., 1988. H. W. A. Lustenhouwer, F. A. Reijenga, and H. C. van Weenen, Source Separation and Collection of Household Compostables, <i>BioCycle, 28</i>:7, pp. 33-36, 1987. R. Steuteville, Measuring the Impact of Disposal Bans, <i>BioCycle, 35</i>:9, pp. 58-60, 1994. J. Jesitus, Yardwaste Diversion Efforts Growing, <i>MSW Management, 5</i>:5, pp. 20-27, 1995. E. S. Geller, R. A. Winett, and P. B. Everett, <i>Preserving the Environment: New Strategies for Behavior Change</i>, Pergamon, New York, 1982. California Integrated Waste Management Board, <i>Send Your Grass Back to its Roots: Grasscycling</i>, Author, Sacramento, 1994. J. R. Schubel and H. A. Neal, <i>Garbage and Trash: Can We Convert Mountains into Molehills?</i> Research Foundation of State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1992. C. Canon, Half Empty or Half Full? <i>BioCycle, 36</i>:1, p. 86, 1995. A. Sachs, Composting: Dirty Riches, <i>World Watch, 6</i>:4, pp. 36-39, 1993. A. Magnuson, Compost: Hitting Pay Dirt, <i>American City and County, 109</i>:5, pp. 29-30, 1994. M. K. Cobern, B. E. Porter, F. C. Leeming, and W. O. Dwyer, the Effect of Commitment on Adoption and Diffusion of Grass Cycling, <i>Environment and Behavior, 27</i>, pp. 213-232, 1995. D. McKenzie-Mohr, L. S. Nemiroff, L. Beers, and S. Desmarais, Determinants of Responsible Environmental Behavior, <i>Journal of Social Issues, 51</i>:4, pp. 139-156, 1995. R. Spencer, Which System Works Best for Collecting Yard Trimmings? <i>BioCycle, 34</i>:9, pp. 37-40, 1993. S. Oskamp, R. Williams, J. Unipan, N. Steers, T. Mainieri, and G. Kurland, Psychological Factors Affecting Paper Recycling by Businesses, <i>Environment and Behavior, 26</i>, pp. 477-503, 1994. D. H. Folz, Recycling Program Design, Management and Participation: A National Survey of Municipal Experience, <i>Public Administration Review, 51</i>, pp. 222-231, 1991. D. Ferrell, Keeping a Lid on the Trash Cans—And Trash Can'ts, <i>Los Angeles Times</i>, pp. B1, B8, November 4, 1995. S. Kelly, Large Scale Yard Waste Composting, <i>BioCycle, 34</i>:9, pp. 30-32, 1993. R. Fabrikant and T. Kearney, Cocomposting in Los Angeles optimizes resource management, <i>BioCycle, 35</i>:12, pp. 58-60, 1994. W. A. Toomey, Meeting the Challenges of Yard Trimmings Diversion, <i>BioCycle, 35</i>:5, pp. 55-59, 1994.