Waste prevention encompasses both theoretical and applied research. Applied, because a primary goal is to address and ameliorate solid waste impacts and, consequently, environmental degradation. Theoretically, environmental psychology research has yielded some broad conclusions that have important relevance for urban issues, particularly waste generation. They include the idea that behaviour is strongly affected by the intrinsic motivation that follows that behaviour, that people learn not only behaviours but also values and norms from those around them and that people in different environments respond differently to different kinds of messages, policies and interventions. As a result, a relative homogeneity is expected within a context for pro-environmental behaviour, and somewhat larger differences across different contexts (e.g. countries). The effect of specific experiences and environmental knowledge may have an impact on developing individuals’ intrinsic motivation. These arguments are clearly relevant to understanding the interdependence between people’s engagement in waste prevention public policies and their perception of environmental protection.