Study: Dwindling recycling rates tied to consumer behavior

The Recycling Partnership found that motivational messaging worked to increase recycling rates.

mixed paper and cardboard

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At the Packaging Recycling Summit in Atlanta earlier this month, Katherine Huded, vice president of circular ventures at The Recycling Partnership (TRP), Washington, discussed the impact of consumer behavior on recycling rates in states with extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs.  

In a session called Critical Role of Consumer Behavior in EPR States, Huded explained that EPR goals cannot be reached with infrastructure alone and that municipalities and recyclers must gain a thorough understanding of their community members to raise recycling rates. 

“People are half the problem,” Huded said. “But they’re also half the solution.” 

TRP launched the Center for Sustainable Behavior & Impact in 2022 to drive improvement in residential recycling behavior and gain a deeper understanding of consumer barriers and sentiments toward recycling. One of the first things the center started with was audience segmentation. 

“Who are the people? What makes them tick?” Huded asked. “It’s about a 50-50 split. About 50 percent of people are pretty dedicated to recycling. … The other 50 percent are frustrated, confused and less dedicated.” 

The center found that members of the dedicated group, who Huded dubbed as “eco-activators,” tended to be higher income, but that members from the “frustrated and confused” group spanned various socioeconomic statuses. The center also found confidence in existing recycling systems is declining, leading to a decline in participation. To increase confidence, the center concluded that better communication from local governments regarding recycling was critical.  

“[Residents] trust the information they received from their local recycling programs,” Huded said. “Except, 75 percent don’t recall actually receiving any information from their local program.” 

TRP deployed several pilot programs in communities across the United States and distributed mailers to test different messaging strategies. The first strategy took a motivational approach, empathizing with residents who feel frustrated and confused by their community’s recycling infrastructure. The second strategy relied on logic and provided objective information about recycling. The third strategy hinged on emotion and depicted a looming landfill overflowing with waste.  

According to the results from the focus group, the motivational messaging was most effective. In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, one of the pilot program cities, recycling tonnage increased by 38 percent for households that received the motivational messaging.  

“[People are] confused and they're embarrassed about it and they're frustrated by it,” Huded said. “They just want to know that someone feels for them. Someone gets it. They're not alone.” 

Many consumers lack the recycling knowledge needed to actively participate in recycling initiatives. Communication from local governments empathizing with residents’ confusion and providing accurate information about the recycling systems in their communities could prove to be successful like it was in Reynoldsburg. 

“[Motivational messaging] is not going to be a silver bullet. There never is one,” Huded said. “But motivational messaging works.”