Plastic Recycling in Households, 2023

This dataset consists of 34 transcripts of semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews with households in areas of 4 countries with high/low consumer recycling rates (England, Scotland, Spain, Germany). The aim was to explore how they engaged with the use and disposal of plastic packaging. We looked specifically at social practices within different households as this is a neglected but important site for managing waste. We explored social practices, perceptions, emotions, knowledge, and understandings of plastics packaging (recycling, repurposing, retaining, reusing, refusing). The interviews shed light on the value of plastics recycling which is understood widely but in practice the lived experience of plastics recycling is complex and frequently requires negotiating relationships. Ideas about classification systems and sorting differ considerably for cultural reasons; inter- generational perspectives on the value of plastics are also apparent and better understanding of these issues will help us shed light on the complex social context of circular economies.