Action Research is currently working with Doug McKenzie-Mohr to develop a series of turnkey strategy reports that will provide step-by-step guidance on fostering specific environmental behavioral changes. The strategy papers are based on a comprehensive review of best-of-class programs worldwide.
Our current focus is on curbside recycling and we are working to identify programs that have produced measurable changes in behavior. We are particularly interested in programs that included barrier and benefit research and/or have included behavior change tools such as prompts, social norms, commitment, etc.
Your suggestions are very valuable to us, thank you in advance.
Ashlee Stratakis
Research Associate
Action Research
United States
Effective Curbside Recycling Programs
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The City of Raleigh in North Carolina has used focus groups to identify barriers and benefits to recycling among our business customers. We also used incentives to increase curbside recycling participation among our residential customers. Email me if you want more details.
Bianca Howard
Community Education Specialist
City of Raleigh Solid Waste Services
United States
The city of Cincinnati enhanced the recycle program 3 years ago and is using many of those stratgies - prompts (new carts, new trucks), an incentive program (recyclebank), and social norms (neighbors asking neighbors to recycle/Mayors recycle challenge. And each cart has RFID, so particpation data more reliable. Participation has gone from 38% (2009) to 72% (2011), and the number of tons we collect has increased 49% (2009 vs. 2011). And saved $930,000 compared to the cost of the old status quo 'bin' program. We used a stimulus grant and bond sale to fund the carts.
Sue Magness
Recycling Coordinator
United States
I am involved in a European Project which is looking at all recycling rates inlcuding kerbside recycling across 12 partners in Europe where best practice will be shared and barriers identified. The project is called R4R -Regions for recycling we wil have a new website soon. We are at an early stage as we have discovered that compiling and calculating rates has been done differently in many cases. The early results may be of interest to this project.
Philippa King
Local Authority Prevention Network - Limerick Clare Kerry Region
Ireland