Aims: One of the major components of waste comprehensive management is the recycling. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of awareness, attitude, and performance of the housewives in Gonabad towards home wastes recycling.

Instrument & Methods: In the descriptive-analytical study, 253 housewives were studied in 2015. The subjects were randomly selected based on the family files recorded by the health centers of Gonabad. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 4 parts including demographic information (5 questions), awareness (6 questions), attitude (10 questions), and performance assessment (8 questions). 33.3%, 33.3-66.6%, and 66.7-100% of the scores were classified as weak, moderate, and good, respectively. Data was analyzed using multivariate ANOVA.

Findings: The awareness levels of 13.6%, 27.4%, and 59.0% of the housewives were weak, moderate, and good, respectively. 6, 50.1, and 43.9% of the housewives were with weak, moderate, and good attitudes towards the recycling, respectively. 31.1%, 49.1%, and 19.8% of the housewives were with weak, moderate, and good performances, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the educational level of the housewives and the levels of their awareness and attitudes (p=0.025). The performance of the families with their heads working at the non-governmental sectors was significantly better than other groups (p=0.026).

Conclusion: 59%, 50%, and 19.8% of the housewives in Gonabad are with good awareness, attitude, and performance towards the urban waste recycling, respectively.