Household behaviour towards waste management – A case study amongst the youth in Parys, South Africa

North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus MSc (Environmental Management), North-West University,Potchefstroom Campus The aim of this study was to investigate household behaviour towards waste management amongst the youth in Parys, South Africa. Various research studies have been conducted globally which indicated the acute household waste problem in cities like China, Seoul, Brazil and Mexico City. These cities receive more than 10 000 tonnes of household waste per day. The Saharan African region is characterised by household waste creation due to population growth and urbanisation. In South Africa the situation is also deteriorating. The youth is the future citizens of the nation and they should actively participate in solving environmental issues (Sujatha, 2012:6). Household waste has been increasing annually by an alarming rate, exacerbating threats such as global warming and ozone depletion, if not managed well. The legal mandate in South Africa is briefly discussed in this study, to establish the structures that are in place to assist with household waste management in South Africa. The waste management hierarchy is embedded in the South African waste policy (NEMWA). This hierarchy guides household waste behaviour by avoiding and reducing household waste as the preferred method, rather encouraging re-using, recycling and treatment of household waste. Disposal of waste is seen as the last resort. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) served as theoretical lens to understand the influencing factors of household waste behaviour. This is a popular and validated tool to assist in explaining the influencing factors of human behaviour towards household waste. The quantitative study using a questionnaire, established that learners have a proper understanding of household waste, regarding it as everything that is thrown away in the kitchen bin. They occasionally have a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Environmental education (EE) can improve environmental awareness, yet steps have to be taken to address this phenomenon. Treatment of waste in terms of creating a compost heap is not a favourable option. Learners do engage in the re-use of items from household waste regularly, and they do make an attempt to avoid the creation of waste. Recycling does however, not take place enough and there seems to be a misconception that recycling is time-consuming. Most households do not sort their household waste. Learners are willing to sort and recycle waste if a system can be implemented that does not take up much time. The use of incentives for recycling waste is also an attractive option. Individuals must focus on reduction (prevention/minimisation) of household waste and where it is not possible, re-use, recycle and recover (Parkour et al., 2014). Masters