Is green a grey area? sustainability and inclusivity: recycling and the ageing population

There have been numerous studies about recycling behaviour, participation and motivations, some of which will be discussed in the main text of this paper. There are disagreements over the impact that age has on the ability and inclination to recycle. The author believes that there are significant effects that age and the ageing population has, and will have, on the ability to recycle and the overall UK material recovery rates.

This positioning paper examines literature regarding barriers to recycling and relationships with age. A hypothetical scenario is outlined for the impact of the ageing population on future material recovery rates in the UK, the initial results of a survey are presented, and the potential role that design can play to eliminate these barriers is described, along with the author's activities within this area in the project 'The Grey Areas of Green Design' based at Sheffield Hallam University.