As with the preceding
segments, the ‘Efficiency Focused’ were, unsurprisingly, into all
types of recycling. This included all that the council collected, as well as some proactive
use of recycling centres (and the majority had been very committed to this prior to
doorstep services being introduced).
They were often more into ‘reusing’ to reduce waste than the others discussed so far
and more keen than others to buy second hand for themselves.
Again, all energy saving
and water saving behaviours were common, but the emphasis
was more on energy than water, which was practiced almost devoutly (with lights and
standby off and lots of energy efficient products in place). Some had inherited
insulation whilst others had put it in themselves, replaced an old boiler and installed
water efficient products when replacement was needed (rather than beforehand).
Metering of water was used where financial benefits could be gained and electricity
meters were used where they were already installed in rented accommodation.
“If you’re not in the room, what’s the point of having the
light on?”
[Male, C1, 26- 35, Single/No Kids, Rural, Powys - EF]
This segment had more garden
hobbyists than other categories, with composting,
planting and water saving measures commonplace.
Travel and transport
tended to be a fairly good area, but more by default, with most
having just one car, and supplementing this within the household with walking locally
and public transport, including further afield. As they were keen on economy, many
were driving accordingly, sometimes lift- sharing and choosing diesel and more energy
efficient small cars. However, their day to day choices were often driven by
convenience and time efficiency rather than the environment specifically. Some were
flying less than in the past or were planning on reducing the amount they flew, but this
was sometimes due more to age and an overall desire to holiday with less effort than a
desire to help save the planet. However, it was evident that local holidays were also
becoming a more common feature.
In the area of Food and
Purchasing, they would typically throw away very little food.
They seemed to eat more fruit and vegetables than other groups and favoured local and
seasonal produce, some of which was organic, but this was more likely to be market or
local producer supplied, or home- grown (any of which were the main reason for
choice), rather than the more expensive supermarket variety. The ‘Efficiency Focused’,
not surprisingly, also actively disliked and avoided disposable items and excess
packaging, preferring to opt for items made to last and unwrapped produce
respectively.
