Newspaper Recycling: The Effects of Rewards and Proximity of Containers

Newspaper recycling, if widely practiced, could contribute to the conservation of natural resources and energy. Two experiments using multiple baseline designs with reversals were conducted to investigate the effects of 2 procedures--rewards and the proximity of recycling containers--on the amount of newspaper recycled. Baseline consisted of placing recycling container in each of 4 mobile home parks. In the reward condition, children earned toys for recycling newspaper in 2 parks; in the proximity condition (a replication of a study by D. H. Reid et al, 1975), 6 additional recycling containers were made available in the other 2 parks. The reward condition produced a 92% average increase over baseline while the proximity condition produced a 52% average increase in newspaper recycled. (16 ref)