The survey found that almost 70 per cent of women who live alone dispose of refuse in an environmentally-friendly way compared with 58 per cent of single men.
The figure rises to nearly 80 per cent for couples, suggesting women are the driving force when it comes to sorting and disposing of wrapping paper, boxes and bottles, 'Daily Mail' reported.
The difference in attitudes towards saving the Earth's resources emerged in Understanding Society, a survey of 5,000 single people and couples led by Hazel Pettifor of Essex University.
Women are probably doing more than their share," she said.
"In the same way that housework tasks are often split, with the women taking on the daily, routine activities, it is likely that women are emptying and rinsing out containers, removing lids and sorting waste," Pettifor said.
Buying and cooking food accounts for about 60 per cent of all household waste, meaning whoever does the cooking also decides what ends up in landfill sites.
Men still spend significantly less time on housework than the woman in their lives. The trend is repeated in single households where women do an average of 12 hours of housework a week compared to eight for men.
