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Recycling Behavior Under China’s Social and Economic Transition

The Case of Metropolitan Wuhan

Globalization Research Center, University of Hawaii, shichao{at}hawaii.edu

With the end of top-down recycling campaigns and rising living standards in post-Mao China, public participation in recycling can no longer be taken for granted. This article examines the differences in recycling behaviors between social groups differentiated by age, gender, education, employment, and level of household incomes in Wuhan—China’s fifth largest city. Based on the analysis of empirical data, gender, age, and household income were identified as three important factors affecting individual recycling behavior in the city. For economic incentives, households with different incomes did take different actions, and individuals in lower income households were more active in recycling. Females, especially older women, play a crucial role in recycling household waste. Given the gender processes in China’s households, the domestic division of labor is expected to drive housewives to not only shoulder most of the routine housework duties but also to bear the responsibility for recycling. However, the conservation tradition for recycling from the factor of age will likely disappear in the near future with the passing of the current older generation.

Key Words: recycling • gender • age • household income • China

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