The dynamics and demographics associated with recycling are changing as baby boomers age and millennials enter the workforce. Municipalities, retailers, manufacturers and stewardship organizations would benefit from understanding how these changing behaviors are likely to affect the recycling landscape going forward.
Call2Recycle, a North American battery recycler, commissioned a 2016 Nielsen study on recycling in the United States, with powerful insights to inform and establish a successful and enduring recycling program.
Many people view recycling as part of their civic duty, and nearly 75 percent of the U.S. population recycles at least monthly. However, while most people agree that recycling is an important factor in planetary health, attitudes and motivations vary greatly. Understanding these differences is critical for a company such as Call2Recycle, which is trying to encourage more people to recycle batteries.
Its survey identified concerns about toxicity as a driving factor for many recyclers, who worried about waste materials poisoning their water supply, among other impacts. Car batteries generally have been successfully recycled for this reason, not only because of toxicity concerns, but also because of the recovered batteries’ economic value.
Carl Smith, president and CEO of Call2Recycle, explained in a recent GreenBiz webcast the big difference between green behaviors and green attitudes. Understanding and closing the gap between a person knowing that they should do something and actually doing it is the primary challenge in recycling.
Knowing the Categories
Call2Recycle segments recycling across two main categories: mainstream and non-mainstream. Mainstream materials tend to have a longer history of recycling, to be more recyclable and to be more monolithic. Non-mainstream materials tend to be more complex and difficult to recycle, and thus their benefits to recycling processors are not as clear and can often be more difficult to capture.
For those seeking to expand the proportion of waste materials that are recycled, there are two basic imperatives: to increase participation in recycling programs, and to move non-mainstream materials into mainstream recycling channels. Some barriers exist. For instance, some non-mainstream materials, such as batteries and paint, are hazardous, and thus challenging to move into mainstream systems. However, Smith explained that two factors exceed all others in importance: accessibility and convenience.
Between the two, accessibility tends to be a much more objective measure, whereas convenience relates to a person’s perception of the ease of recycling. For instance, a recycling center around the corner from you may be accessible, but if it’s only open for limited hours, it may be quite inconvenient. By contrast, a rural general store that may be a bit of a drive from your home, but is a hub of other community activity, can be convenient. Recycling behaviors are tied very closely to both measures.
To read the full story, visit https://www.greenbiz.com/business_call2recycle_webcast.