General Recycling Information

Source: Catlin, Jesse R., and Yitong Wang. “Recycling Gone Bad: When the Option to Recycle Increases Resource Consumption.” Journal of Consumer Psychology, vol. 23, no. 1, 2013, pp. 122–127. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26578140. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.

• Curbside pickup and widespread use of recycling bins maximized availability and made people want to recycle more

• Recycling only works if consumers are still mindful of their consumption rates, no matter the availability of recycling 

• When recycling is available, consumers increase their usage of products that are cheaper, such as plastic bottles 

• Studies show that the anticipation and guilt of consumption plays an important role in deciding consumption levels 

  • Recycling makes people feel better about their wasteful consuming habits and may sometimes even justify their actions 

• Recycling can lead to negative spillover 

  • Ex: participating in a neighborhood recycling program could decrease your chances of recycling later 

  • Ex: having a recycling bin close by will make a person feel better or more inclined to use more plastic containers. However, in the absence of one, that person may be more inclined to conserve 

• Recycling = “get out of jail free card”