Changing behaviour towards recycling

Changing attitudes is one thing, changing behaviour is another challenge entirely. Take recycling for instance. How do we encourage more people to recycle? We can educate them through all sorts of rational arguments, ones that they will nod along in agreement with, but will it actually result in changing their behaviour? In reality, people are much more likely to recycle if it's made rewarding for them and if it's made easy for them, that is to say they don't have to do much different to usual.

A door step service may be the gold standard but is it sustainable? Recycling sites are the next best option but could they do a better job?  I saw an unfamiliar approach in Portugal recently. Their recycling containers are underground. I'm assuming the approach was taken because of the high summer temperatures, but take a look at the picture below. It looks good, user friendly, almost a fun experience to recycle.

Underground recycling in Portugal

Imagine if sites looked like this in the UK. It would mean we could fit more sites into urban areas, it would mean less NIMBY opposition to sites appearing in more places, which in turn would make it more convenient for people to drop off their own recycling at these extra sites. Not only that, if sites looked more appealing (and maybe highlighted the amount of refuse recycled each month) it would become a more rewarding experience for people.

It's worked in the past, way back in 2006 a Lewisham council scheme encouraged more recycling by making it more fun. They painted the recycling refuse bins black and white to resemble Friesian cows. So now, people weren't just recycling, they were 'feeding the cows'.

The result? It increased recycling loads by 60%. Not bad for the cost of 2 tins of paint.

Feeding the cows in Lewisham 2006