Attitudes and behaviour of consumers regarding dishwashing: The case of Patras, Greece
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate, analyse and report the attitudes and behavioural patterns of Greek consumers regarding both manual and machine-dishwashing; to account for the rate of penetration of dishwashers in the household; and draw the profile of the households that own a dishwasher.
Abstract: Washing the dishes, which comes at the expense of natural resources consumption, is one of the cornerstones of hygiene in modern households. Dishwashing can be performed either manually or by the use of dishwashers. Even though machine dishwashing has clear advantages over manual, the latter is still used by a great portion of the households. The aim of this study, the first if its kind originating from Greece, is to investigate, analyse and report the attitudes and behavioural patterns of Greek consumers regarding both manual- and machine-dishwashing; to account for the rate of penetration of dishwashers in the household; and draw the profile of the households that own a dishwasher. The research took place in Patras, the third largest city in Greece using a closed-type questionnaire. The rate of penetration of dishwashers in this study, 39%, is below the European average but close to the one reported for southern European countries. The profile of the dishwasher owner outlined by our research is close to the one reported in the literature. In addition, habits of dishwasher owners have been identified. Our analysis indicates convenience, and not the conservation of water and energy, is the main reason for owning a dishwasher in Greece. An encouraging result is that Greeks are well informed and dedicated consumers of the low tariff electricity when using the dishwasher. Finally, despite the presence of a dishwasher in a Greek household, manual dishwashing using hot water is far from obsolete. The environmental impacts of heating the water for dishwashing can be alleviated by engaging solar heaters, the penetration of which proved to be quite high in the present research. Education and training of the consumers on both the advantages as well as the proper use of dishwashers is identified as the major requirement towards the reduction of the environmental impacts associated to dishwashing.
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TL;DR: The Resource, Conservation and Recycling journal as mentioned in this paper provides an overview of the substance of the Resource, Environmental, and Management Journal (REMJ) and its four domains of waste, recycling, human behaviour and legal influence.
Abstract: The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the substance of the Resource, Conservation and Recycling journal. The four domains of Hierarchy of Waste, Recycling, Human Behaviour and Legal Influence populate the journal. The journal articles predominantly dwell on mid-level of the hierarchy reflecting Recycling. The recycling articles are varied and are associated with biotechnology, industrial technology, and human attitudes and behaviour. The European Union’s (EU) Waste and Landfill Directives cast a considerable influence on national and municipal recycling policies and laws. This legal-geostrategic impactful research focus should be sustained because they have a deep and wide bearing at regional, national, municipal and community levels. This overview also reveals human behaviour is a strategic domain because of the enduring effects of both poor and good recycling habits. However, the success of moving waste management strategies up the hierarchy seems elusive. This journal exhibits strategic research attributes in addition to the journal’s objectives of operational recycling transformation processes. This overview suggests developing waste management habits and the DFX research mindset. It concludes with recycling dilemma.
27 citations
Dissertation•
11 Dec 2015
TL;DR: Berge et al. as discussed by the authors analyzed the concentrations of alkylphenols and phtalates in the eaux usees of a large-scale industrial area in France.
Abstract: Les alkylphenols (AP) et les phtalates (ou esters d'acide phtalique - PAE) sont classes comme perturbateurs endocriniens. En effet, malgre un nombre relativement faible d'etudes, certaines informations laissent supposer que les phtalates pourraient avoir un effet negatif sur la reproduction chez l'homme (Bocken, 2001). Recemment, Berge et al.(2014) ont etudie les concentrations des alkylphenols et des phtalates dans les eaux usees a l'echelle de l'agglomeration parisienne : un bassin fortement urbanise, mais faiblement industrialise. Ce type de bassin, avec 8,5 millions d'habitants et moins de 2 % des eaux usees provenant des industries, pourrait etre utilise pour modeliser le devenir de ces deux familles de composes dans les grandes villes situees dans les pays industrialises. Il a ete demontre qu'en termes de flux, les alkylphenols et les phtalates proviennent essentiellement des eaux usees domestiques et non des rejets industriels. En effet, plus de 95 % de la charge de ces polluants est issue des eaux usees domestiques (Berge et al., 2014). Ce resultat est en accord avec celui d'Eriksson et al.(2003).Cependant, la contribution des differents types d'eaux composant les rejets domestiques a la pollution par les alkylphenols et phtalates n'est pas encore connue. Ces travaux de these ont donc permis de combler ce manque sur les concentrations de quatre phtalates (DEP, DnBP, BBP et DEHP) et de deux types d'alkylphenols (isomeres du nonylphenol et octylphenol), parmi les congeneres les plus couramment etudies, dans les eaux grises et les eaux vannes. 165 echantillons d'eaux grises, repartie en six categories (lave-linge, lave-vaisselle, vaisselle manuelle, nettoyage des sols, lavabo et douche) ainsi que 3 echantillons d'eaux vannes (toilettes) ont ete collecte directement chez des particuliers. Pour ce faire, un protocole de prelevement specifique a chaque types d'eaux a ete mis en place puis un appel a volontariat a ete lance dans la region francilienne. Pas moins de 79 foyers (76 pour les eaux grises et 3 pour les eaux vannes) ont participes a ses travaux permettant d'apporter une base de donnees solide sur les eaux grises franciliennes. De fortes disparites sont apparus entre les differentes types d'eaux grises. En effet, il en ressort tres clairement que les eaux usees des douches et des lave-linges representent a elles seules plus de 80 % flux en alkylphenols et en phtalates rejetees dans les eaux usees domestiques. Au vu de ces resultats, il a ete decide de recherche la pollution des alkylphenols et des phtalates encore plus en amont et de repondre a la question : d'ou proviennent les AP et les PAE dans ces deux eaux grises. Pour ce faire, une decomposition des sources potentielles et une analyse separee de chacune d'entre elles a permis de montrer des profils differents. En effet, d'apres ces travaux les alkyphenols et le DnBP proviendrait en majorite des produits utilises dans les douches et les lave-linge alors que les PAE (exception faite du DnBP) proviennent des vetements ou de ce qui s'est depose dessus. Durant ces travaux, les AP et les PAE ont aussi ete suivis au cours du transport des eaux usees dans le reseau d'assainissement puis au cours des traitements de station d'epuration. Au sein du reseau d'assainissement, peu ou pas d'evolution des concentrations en AP et PAE malgre une contamination des boues de reseaux retrouvees dans les chambres a sables pouvant atteindre des teneurs de 35 µg/g ms de DEHP. Il est tout de fois notable une evolution des flux en AP et PAE transitant dans les emissaires de la stations de Seine Aval, traitant l'equivalent de 5 millions d'equivalent habitant par jour. En effet, les flux observees durant ces travaux de these sont pour les AP de 3 a 6 fois plus faibles que ceux observes par Berge (2012) en 2011 et de 2 a 4 fois plus faibles pour les PAE. Une exception est cependant notable puisque les valeurs en DnBP ont augmente d'un facteur 10 entre 2011 et 2014
13 citations
Cites background from "Attitudes and behaviour of consumer..."
...En outre, une vaisselle manuelle est souvent réalisée quotidiennement en complément de l’utilisation du lave-vaisselle (Berkholz et al., 2010 ; Abeliotus et al., 2012)....
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...Selon Berkholz et al. (2010) et Abeliotus et al. (2012), la majorité des personnes interrogées déclarent faire la vaisselle manuellement une à plusieurs fois par jour alors que le lave-vaisselle est utilisé seulement une fois par jour voire tous les deux jours....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply an integrated approach to investigate public perception of residential water issues during a period of economic crisis, and investigate the perceptions and practices of At home water consumers.
Abstract: This study applies an integrated approach to investigate public perception of residential water issues during a period of economic crisis. The study investigates the perceptions and practices of At...
11 citations
Cites background from "Attitudes and behaviour of consumer..."
...Abeliotis, Dimitrakopoulou, and Vamvakari (2012) investigated the attitudes and behavior of Greek people towards manual and machine dishwashing, while Koutiva et al. (2016) explored the domestic water use attitudes and behaviors using data from questionnaires and personal interviews....
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01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore everyday water practices of people who migrated from Iran to Australia through a project design that employed a mixed-qualitative method, and highlight the importance of migrant diversity in socio-cultural research on household sustainability in Australia and other multi-cultural societies.
Abstract: The thesis aim is to explore everyday water practices of people who migrated from Iran to Australia through a project design that employed a mixed-qualitative method. The theoretical approach of the thesis brings into conversation the work of Elizabeth Shove and Sarah Pink. In doing so, the everyday water practices are conceived as relational, comprised through the intersection of competencies, ideas, materials and situated knowledge. The question guiding this thesis is: Following migration to Australia, how do the everyday water practices of migrants from the Islamic Republic of Iran persist, change or stop. Insights are offered from 15 Iranian-Australian people, who consented to participate in a project comprised of semi-structure interviews and home insights. The results are present across three chapters that investigate waterrelated practices of bathrooms, kitchens and laundries. Attention is drawn to the how socio-cultural practices of low cost piped tap-water supply that were integral to nation building in Iran since the 1950s alongside Islamic inflected ideas of cleanliness continue to shape practices in Australia of washing-up dishes, showering, toileting and washing clothes. The thesis underscores the importance of migrant diversity in socio-cultural research on household sustainability in Australia and other multi-cultural societies.
8 citations
Cites background from "Attitudes and behaviour of consumer..."
...As discussed by Abeliotis et al. (2012), 73% of water savings and more than 23....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore what kind of habits and intentions of consumers in Europe can be identified which restrict the consumer from using an automatic dishwasher, either not buying one or not using it, although it is available in the household.
Abstract: There is a large influence of consumer behaviour on the resource consumption of owners and non-owners of automatic dishwashers. Therefore, it was the task to explore what kind of habits and intentions of consumers in Europe can be identified which restrict the consumer from using an automatic dishwasher, either not buying one or not using it, although it is available in the household. This was carried out on a representative level with a sufficiently high number of participants to avoid conclusions being taken on a statistical basis that is too small. The question is answered from different perspectives: Why do owners of an energy efficient automatic dishwasher not use it properly and what arguments do non-owners have for not buying one?
5 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed an empirical model to investigate the main determinants of household energy conservation patterns in Greece employing cross-section data and employed household energy-conserving choices models, using a discrete and a latent trait variable respectively as a dependent variable.
234 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored how Greece's household consumption has changed between 1990 and 2006 and its environmental implications in terms of fossil fuel demand and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the washing up behaviour of consumers in the UK and compare manual and automatic dish washing. And they show that the dishes washed by hand are slightly less clean than dishes washed in a dishwasher.
Abstract: This study presents an overview of the washing up behaviour of consumers in the UK. Peoples' individual attitudes were observed as were the amount of water and energy used, the time taken and the cleaning performance. Additionally, manual dishwashing was compared with the use of automatic dishwashers. Participants were recruited to represent all geographic regions of the UK as well as forming a representative cross-section of the population. Each of the 150 participants washed a full load of soiled tableware based on the standard EN 50242 ‘Electric Dishwashers for Household Use – Methods for Measuring the Performance’. For comparison, the best selling dishwasher in the UK in 2007 was tested under the same conditions as those in the consumer trial. Additionally, consumers who owned a full-size dishwasher were asked to load it to the point when they decided that the dishwasher was full.
The study shows that these consumers, on average, used 49 l of water and 1.7 kWh of energy, whereas the dishwasher used 13 l of water and 1.3 kWh of energy on average for the same amount of dishes under the conditions tested. Statistical analysis showed that these differences are significant. The dishes washed by hand were found to be slightly less clean than dishes washed in a dishwasher. For washing a full dishwasher load by hand, the participants needed, on average, 60 min, while they only took 9 min on average to load and unload the same amount of dishes in a dishwasher. The average participants were able to fill almost the full load into the dishwasher (96% of the items as used in a test following EN 50242).
48 citations
TL;DR: This study evaluated the sanitization efficacies of manual three-compartment dishwashing processes as a function of washing temperature/time, contaminating organic matter, sanitizing condition, and bacterial type.
41 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide empirical data on consumers' dishwashing habits in everyday life in four European countries, dealing with the influence of their behaviour on the efficiency of the dishwashing process and highlights savings potentials in the usage of dishwashers.
Abstract: Increasing costs for energy and water influence consumer decision making when purchasing white goods, such as dishwashers. Since the implementation of the European Energy Label, considerable improvements in water and energy consumption of dishwashers has been achieved, and for consumers, efficiency has become one of the main buzzwords when buying any major new household appliance. However, ownership of an efficient dishwasher in itself does not guarantee savings in energy and water during the course of the dishwashing process. Conservation of resources also requires changes in consumer behaviour. This paper provides empirical data on consumers' dishwashing habits in everyday life in four European countries, deals with the influence of their behaviour on the efficiency of the dishwashing process and highlights savings potentials in the usage of dishwashers. It reports on the results of a survey involving a total of 1209 online interviews conducted in winter 2006/2007. The survey data have been analysed to reveal the importance of various product attributes for consumers and show that low water and energy consumption values are the most important consideration for the respondents in terms of their purchasing decision. But this is compromised, at least in part, by less efficient dishwasher use, e.g. in pre-rinsing dishes before placing them into the dishwasher and in the programme choice. In addition, differences in manual dishwashing practices between households with and without a dishwasher, as well as between countries, will be shown. Finally, conclusions are drawn for greater sustainability in the dishwashing process.
39 citations