Only one-third of Americans claim to do their part when it comes to recycling, according to new research. A poll of 2,000 Americans revealed that beyond the 34% who take recycling very seriously, others admit they try to recycle when they are able (29%) or don’t recycle as much as they should (9%). The biggest factors that deter people from recycling were found to be concerns about under-regulation and contaminants (20%) and a lack of faith that the materials are actually being recycled (16%).
Another 29% are unaware of the recycling initiatives and laws in their city or state, and of those who are aware, nearly one in four (24%) admit they still don’t fully understand them. When asked to outline other reservations, respondents said “I don’t know what the initiatives might be” or because “[their] city does not participate in recycling.” On top of that, 51% of respondents are unaware of the initiatives companies and businesses are working on when it comes to PCR plastic. In fact, the survey showed 66% don’t know what “PCR” plastic means.
It is evident that there is more education to be had with Americans’ understanding of their role in recycling initiatives, as after learning that PCR plastic produced from post-consumer recycled resin and used to create new packaging to reduce impact on landfill waste, 56% noted purchasing PCR plastic products to be important to them. Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of CG Roxane, results found that almost four in five (79%) respondents admitted they’ve committed a “recycling sin” over the past year. Those included not verifying what materials their products are made from (30%) or placing recyclable items in a trash bag before putting them in a bin (27%).
