RELEVANCE OF SELECTED MEASURES IN TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY: THE CASE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

To accelerate the transition to a circular economy European member states have applied a broad range of policy instruments. Based on recycling rates and public participation in recycling efforts the Czech Republic would also appear to be on the way to a circular economy. However, the environmental effect of policy instruments (e.g. promotion and education campaigns) will soon be exhausted, as recycling rates are no longer rising significantly. Convinced recyclers are already carrying out effective recycling; however, how to motivate chronic non-recyclers to increase their public participation in recycling efforts is questionable. This paper examines the impact of social norms and the social environment in an attempt to explain recycling behaviour. Furthermore, awareness of waste separation options and programs is viewed as an important variable that determines how non-recyclers perform with regard to recycling.