Three categories of beliefs related to consumption-refuse practices were studied in a Mexican community. One hundred randomly selected housewives responded to a questionnaire investigating conservation beliefs, materialistic beliefs, and austerity beliefs, as well as self-reports of reuse and recycling practices. In addition, observations of reused/recycled items were conducted throughout the households studied. Structural equation models of the three categories of beliefs predicting self-reported and observed reuse and recycling were specified and tested. Results revealed that self-reports of conservation (reuse/recycling) behavior were best predicted by beliefs, although significant correlations between observations of reuse/recycling and beliefs were also obtained. Austerity beliefs were better predictors of self-reports of reuse, and conservation beliefs were significantly related to observations of this practice. The reported recycling was more related to materialistic and conservation beliefs, whereas the observed recycling was only predicted by materialistic beliefs.
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