2005 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 55-64
This study examined how prior voluntary recycling systems affect the social acceptance of a new mandatory recycling/resource separation system. We hypothesized that social acceptance of the new system was based on an outcome evaluation of social benefit and individual cost, as well as fairness evaluations of procedure and distributive justice. A social survey was conducted in Nagoya City to compare residents' evaluations of the system for the area with voluntary recycling and the area without. The respondents in each of the areas were selected by a systematic random sampling. The main results were as follows: 1) Residents in the area with voluntary recycling evaluated the social benefits, individual costs, and procedural fairness of the new mandatory system more positively than those in the area without voluntary recycling; 2) More of the residents with voluntary recycling experience were committed to recycling activities and expected their neighbors' cooperation for the new system, also more of these residents participated in local meetings regarding communication of recycling methods than those without; 3) Those residents who held a commitment to recycling, expected neighbor cooperation, and who participated in recycling meetings had positive evaluation for outcome and fairness. We argued for the importance of volunteer participation, and cooperation between the administration and volunteers, where the introduction of a mandatory resource separation system is concerned.
