The aim of the project is to investigate how efficient source-separation systems can be designed from a user perspective. People are generally positive to source separation, but there is a difference between what they think and what they actually do. Perceptions of waste heavily rely on widespread and culturally grounded values and habits of daily life.

To be efficient, source separation systems and policy instruments, often created by experts and professional actors in the waste-collection market, should not contradict such values and habits. If a cognitive gap between laypeople and experts exists, we want to find out how such a gap can be described and exceeded.

Project manager: Lynn Åkesson, Department of European Ethnology,Lund University , Lund

Researchers
Jan-Olof Sundqvist	IVL Swedish Environmental Reserch Institute	jan-olov.sundqvist@ivl.se
Lynn Åkesson	Lund University	lynn.akesson@etn.lu.se
Susanne Ewert	Lund University	Susanne.Ewert@etn.lu.se

Publications
Ewert, S., Henriksson, G. and Åkesson, L. (2009) Osäker eller nöjd – kulturella aspekter på vardagens avfallspraktik, Report TRITA-INFRA-FMS 2009: 3, TRITA-INFRA-FMS 2008:6, Miljöstrategisk analys – fms, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
Åkesson L. (2008) Det värdelösas värde och sopornas ordning. In Cronqvist M (ed): Hållbara värden. Riksbankens jubileumsfond. Makadam förlag, Stockholm (s 137-155 in Swedish).
Åkesson L. (2007) Källsortering med förhinder. Avfall och miljö 1/07:14-15 (in Swedish).