Mind Over Waste: Decoding the Mental Models of Hard-to-Reach in Household Waste Practices

A resource-efficient society that reduces waste is one of the European Union's long-term objectives. Waste that cannot be prevented should be reused as far as possible through sorting, recycling and minimizing landfill. Achieving this goal requires the active and coordinated participation of all stakeholders, including households. However, the low involvement in waste reduction measures of certain consumer groups, especially hard-to-reach consumers, poses a significant challenge. This paper investigates the mental models of waste reduction practices of different consumer groups using cognitive maps as an analysis tool. The Mental Modeler tool is used to predict behavioural patterns of different consumer groups and simulate the impact of various scenarios on these behaviours. The results show that different groups of consumers develop different reactions to the waste management measures foreseen in the legislation, with the hard-to-reach exhibiting particularly minimal engagement. The study highlights significant differences between the mental models of consumer groups, emphasizing the need for a tailored, interdisciplinary approach to understand consumer motivations and effectively promote sustainable behaviour change. The findings suggest that to transition to a circular economy successfully, specific strategies and policy interventions targeting hard-to-reach groups are essential to stimulate their engagement in waste reduction and resource reuse practices.