Ultra‐Orthodox recycling narratives: implications for planning and policy

Abstract

Purpose -Recycling facilities are not available in most Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish neighborhoods in Israel. Servicing Ultra-Orthodox communities would offer significant relief for rapidly bloating landfills. Haredi communities have highly religious lifestyles, very large families and tend to cluster together in communities, posing significant challenges in urban planning and policy. With careful planning and education these communities have the potential to be high-yield recyclers, as the act of recycling plastic, paper and glass is not religiously prohibited. The purpose of this paper is to determine the feasibility of installing recycling facilities in two Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Design/methodology/approach -Data were collected by administering a short questionnaire to neighborhood residents and asking them questions about recycling behavior as well as demographic information.Findings -Ultra-Orthodox communities have a unique recycling narrative which determines the materials they are most likely to recycle. Rabbinical leaders and monetary incentives are instrumental in garnering support for recycling programs.Research limitations/implications -The findings shed light on demographic variables which influence recycling behavior such as age, gender, household size and religiosity/ethnicity. Practical implications -The rich data have significant planning and policy implications. As this study relies on statistically significant data, it is highly likely that the conclusions drawn are applicable to other Haredi neighborhoods and beyond. Originality/value -As a whole, Ultra-Orthodox attitudes and behaviors exposed in this study reveal, for the first time, a religious ethnography of recycling or a recycling narrative.

What is Different about Volunteers? A Study on Factors of Buying Decisions of Products with Recycled Content

“…Also, messages addressing the entire population could be organized as marketing campaigns similar to commercial campaigns, as promotion and affordable price are important dimensions of buying intention. This is in line with Yoreh's [63] findings, as monetary incentives can support desired consumers' behavior.…”

Harnessing the Power of Religion

“…These individuals also embark on external resources in order to enrich their existing Jewish religious traditions and renew a religiously inspired relationship to the earth. Last but not least, Yoreh (2010) argues that rabbinical leaders are instrumental in garnering support for recycling programs in Ultra-Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. He even goes far to say: “It can even be said that there is no need to convince the Haredi communities of the benefits of recycling.…”

Engaging faith-based communities in pro-environmental behavior using soft regulations: The case of single-use plastics

“…In Israel there has also been little study concerning the environmental behaviors of Israeli minorities including faith-based groups. Most of the research has been conducted by Yoreh (2010Yoreh ( , 2011Yoreh ( , 2019a, who explored attitudes toward the environment, wastefulness, and recycling patterns among ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel and Canada. He argues that the existence of a prohibition against wastefulness (bal tashh _ it; Deuteronomy 20:19-20) in Judaism might lead one to assume that observant Jews minimize wastefulness to a great extent.…”

“…Given the high consumption of DTW among the ultraorthodox sector in Israel and their increased political power, legislation that bans or taxes disposable tableware may not be effective over the long term, which warrants the utilization of 'soft' regulatory measures. Indeed, various policies have been implemented to motivate faith-based communities to adopt PEB, such as education (e.g., Webb and Hayhoe, 2017), influencing their value frameworks (Smith and Pulver, 2009), and engaging faith leaders as role models to influence believers to adopt PEB (Yoreh, 2010;Tsimpo and Wodon, 2016). However, studies of the realized impact remain rare (Taylor et al, 2016).…”