Why do people not recycle more?

With the amount of awareness that is out there about the importance of recycling why is it that people do not recycle more? In 2008, the EPA reported that our recycling rate as a country was 33.2% for Municipal Solid Waste (http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf). There have been no major gains in recycling since 2000 from their research. So why is this?

King County Washington, from their studies and analysis have found that there are 5 main reasons for why households are not recycling at higher rates:

1. Convenience – not enough recycling bins or located in the wrong places
2. Recycling bins aren’t big enough
3. Not sure what is recyclable
4. Don’t like to rinse out containers
5. Think they recycle “Enough”

These five things show that we need to have a recycling bin in all areas were trash is produces. These bins also need to be large enough. At my home the waste bin is the smallest can and the recycling bins which there are two of, are much larger, which better represents the realities of waste production.

Once households have placed recycle bins in all of the trash areas on the property, there needs to be some sort of signage informing users of what can be recycled some where near the container. An easy way of doing this is to place a sticker on the can with this information. Another option is to acquire the recycling flier outlining what can be recycled from your local government or garbage hauler and place it on or above the recycling bin.

In order for recyclables to be of there highest value they need to be cleaned of all food residue. Many people do not like this part and will just place them in the garbage or in the recycling bin with out cleaning. If placed in the recycle bin, it will cause contamination, which reduces the value of the goods, so it is actually better to just through those items away, than just placing them in the recycling bin hoping someone else will clean it out.

King County has provided residents with a green plastic spatula that help with cleaning out jars and containers. Having one these handy will help make recycling more convenient and easier. By placing the message on the side, it reinforces the importance of recycling every time used. These simple techniques will make recycling more of a focal point in households, workplaces and public spaces.

The last reason why people do not recycle more is the hardest to change, which is changing perception. How do you inform people of the actual amounts of waste that is being recycled. We currently do not have a way of quantifying waste amounts for individual households, so there is no way of showing people the realities of there efforts. One way though is by reducing the size of you garbage can, which reduces your garbage bill in Snoqualmie. Local Governments and private entities need to continue to encourage, educate and make the resources more available to the public on recycling so that we can achieve our future goals in solid waste management.