2. Did you know?
Americans produce 251.3 million tons of waste per year
(Fritz et. al, 2009)
The average person in the U.S. produces 3.4 pounds of
solid waste each day (Goernert et. al, 1995)
Approximately 90% of waste generated in the U.S. could
be recycled, but only 30% is recycled (Johnston et. al,
2013)
3. Research on Campus Recycling
The location of recycling bins is a critical factor in
recycling receptacle usage (Fritz et. al, 2009)
Recycling increased dramatically when bins were
placed in classrooms and in high traffic areas
Introducing recycling facilities and behaviors may
promote more positive attitudes about recycling
(DiGiacomo et. al, 2016)
Information v. incentives – recyclable weight
increased by 4% at the information site,
compared to 28.5% at the incentive site (Iyer et.
al, 2007)
Internal and external factors related to recycling
Increasing external factors (number of bins, social
norms related to pro-environmental behavior etc.)
increases recycling
4. Materials and Participants
Participants: Reinhardt University, Waleska campus (1,373 students;
51% male, 49% female)
Materials: 15 blue recycling bins were placed throughout Lawson and
Tarpley
Multi-colored flyers (orange, yellow, and green) were taped above the
recycling bins.
The ones intended for recycling paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum featured
the words “Reduce, reuse, and recycle” and pictured an animated Earth on a
bicycle.
The ones designed for the paper towel recycling encouraged recycling and had
an animated paper towel claiming how awesome it is because it is recyclable.
Both flyers were approved by Dr. Walter May before posting.
We also utilized a scale to measure our bins and recycling materials in
pounds.
5.
6. Methods
Bins were placed throughout Lawson and Tarpley, 15 in total
One by each staircase in Lawson (6), one by the staircase in Tarpley (3), one in each of the
men’s and women’s bathrooms on each floor (6)
We placed informational flyers above each bin detailing what materials could be
recycled.
We weighed our bins initially (1.5lbs.) and used a scale to measure the weights. Kayla
stood on the scale and subtracted her weight (112.2lbs.) and the bin weight (1.5lbs.)
from the total to find the total weight of the recyclables.
We set our bins out on Tuesday, April 5 and collected the weights of the materials on
Thursday, April 14.
7. Results
Total weight for Tarpley: 2.7lbs. (M: 0.9, SD:1.1)
Total weight for Lawson: 8.1lbs.
1st floor: 2.5lbs. (M: 0.8, SD: 0.1)
2nd floor: 2.5lbs. (M: 0.5, SD: 0.5)
3rd floor: 3.1lbs. (M: 0.8, SD: 0.6)
Total weight for 1st floor: 3.0lbs. (M: 0.7, SD: 0.2)
Total weight for 2nd floor: 4.6lbs. (M: 0.8, SD: 0.8)
Total weight for 3rd floor: 3.2lbs. (M: 0.6, SD: 0.6)
9. Discussion
It is clear that the total weight for Lawson far exceeded
the total weight for Tarpley, but solely because there were
more recycling bins located in Lawson.
Also, the second floor reported larger weights for
recyclable materials (4.6lbs.)
There were two significant weights recorded in two bins
2nd floor Tarpley: 2.1lbs
3rd floor Staircase 1, Lawson: 1.5lbs.
10. Limitations and Future Research
Time was a huge constraint in executing this
experiment properly.
We could have had more recycling bins, as it
seems that 15 were not enough to have the
impact that we truly wanted. These could have
been in areas like the commuter’s lounge, inside
classrooms, and other well-frequented areas of
Lawson/Tarpley.
The measurement in pounds may not have been
the best to use in order to capture a significant
change in recycling behavior. Future studies
may include measures of volume instead.
11. References
DiGiacomo, A., Kingstone, A., Lenkic, P. J., Wong, V. K., & Wu, D. W.-L. (2016). Being in a
“green” building elicits “greener” recycling, but not necessarily “better” recycling. PLoS
ONE, 11, 1-13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145737
Fritz, J. N., Lerman, D. C., & O’Connor, R. T. (2009). Effects of number and location of bins on
plastic recycling at a university. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 711-715. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2010.43-711
Goernert, P. N., Houlihan, D., & Larson, M. E. (1995). Brief report: Effects of informational
feedback on aluminum can recycling. Behavioral Interventions, 10, 111-117. doi: 10.1002/bin.2360100207
Iyer, E. S. & Kashyap, R. K. (2007). Consumer recycling: Role of incentives, information, and
social class. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 6, 32-47. doi: 10.1002/cb.206
Johnston, D. D., Largo-Wight, E., & Wight, J. (2013). The efficacy of a theory-based,
participatory recycling intervention on a college campus. Journal of Environmental Health, 76, 26-31. doi:
10.1108/02632771211270595
