Separation of recyclable inorganic waste in tijuana

Within the framework of the 3R environmental policy (reduce, reuse and recycle) and valuation of urban solid waste (USW), source separation has been presented as one strategy to reduce the negative effects of increasing amounts of USW. From a partici-pative approach, government and non-government actors have sought to encourage people to implement sustainable behavior from their homes, without the expected effect. Given the diversity in household customs, this study seeks to identify and explain the factors that affect or determine the behavior of this practice in the residents of Tijuana, specifically in the separation of their recyclable inorganic solid waste. The variables that were analyzed are the motivations and the difficulties reported by the householders. To collect the data a survey was distributed within 44 basic geo-statistical areas in the Tijuana locality. The findings expressed that 56.6 % of survey respondents reported to separate their waste; this behavior was common in homes with a high and medium scale of marginality, 69 % and 59.1 %, respectively. The most mentioned incentive is connected to caring for the environment, and the most reported barriers were the mixing of recyclable products with the rest of the solid waste. This study complements previous research on this topic and provides an explanation of separation habits, specifically at the household level.