Authors

• Valkonen, Jarno (University of Lapland. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Huilaja, Heikki (University of Lapland. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Kinnunen, Veera (University of Lapland. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Saariniemi, Johanna (University of Lapland. Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Nykänen, Anna-Stina (Helsingin Sanomat)
• Helsingin Sanomat

Keywords

environment, recycling, responsibility, sustainability, waste disposal and handling, wastes

Abstract

This survey, conducted by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in 2018, charted Finnish views on waste. The survey was conducted as part of the 'Waste Society: Living with Material Overflows' project funded by the Academy of Finland. Topics in the survey included, for instance, living with waste, attitudes towards waste, and a future of 'zero waste'. Additionally, the data include an open-ended question q28 "Is there something else you want to say regarding waste, waste disposal and the future of waste?", which received a large number of responses (N:2,051) and can be utilised in qualitative analysis. Open-ended responses are only available in Finnish.

First, the respondents were asked whether they sorted their waste and into how many different categories they sorted their waste. The waste containers provided by the respondent's housing company were surveyed, as well as whether the respondents used all the different containers for sorting their waste. The respondents' attitudes towards waste were examined with questions on whether they thought waste was primarily an aesthetic, hygienic, or environmental matter, what kinds of feelings they had relating to waste (e.g. interest, guilt, responsibility), and whether their attitude towards or behaviour regarding waste and waste disposal had changed in the past year.

Next, the respondents' views on problems and responsibility related to waste were charted. The respondents were asked, for instance, whether they thought that the development of technology would solve the world's problems with waste, that waste was not a significant problem, and whether reducing waste was primarily the responsibility of e.g. consumers, municipalities, or companies. Opinions on a 'zero waste' future were examined with questions on what the respondents thought would encourage them to reduce their waste and how they thought food, plastic and sewer waste should be disposed of in the future.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, age, household composition, number of children and adults in the household, level of education, and monthly income of the household.