Study Suggests How to Get Employees to Use the Recycling Bin Instead of the Garbage

A recent study sheds more light on why people tend to trash some things instead of putting them in the recycling bin where they belong. The findings may help you improve your corporate waste strategy.

Researchers found that consumers were less likely to recycle objects if their shapes became distorted during use. This includes dented cans and torn paper. In the experiment, subjects were asked to evaluate a pair of scissors. Half the group cut up paper as part of the test, and half did not. Even though they were presented with identical bins for garbage and recycling, the group with the intact paper was much more likely to recycle their waste on their way out of the room. The findings were the same no matter how much paper was involved. The study was conducted by Remi Trudel of Boston University and Jennifer J. Argo of the University of Alberta, and appears in the December 2013 issue of The Journal of Consumer Research.

The study’s authors hope that the findings will help business executives and government officials who are trying to promote recycling. Some obvious suggestions would include updating corporate policies and materials that educate your employees about what materials can be recycled. This is especially important because curbside recycling services sometime advise people that shredded paper jams their machines. You may also want to post signs at strategic spots like soft drink vending machines and the area around the paper cutter where these questions are most likely to arise. When it comes to auditing your garbage, deviations may be easier to spot once you know you should be looking out for crumpled paper and dented cans.