The motivation behind this study research originated from practical observations of recycling practices. Cossu received a grant from A Sustainable Future (ASF) to carry out research to answer this question. Along with co-authors, Elena Bocchi and Irene Scopelliti from Bayes Business School in London, the researchers decided to investigate the pressing societal issue of waste management.

Tackling the problem of waste management

Excessive waste production is a critical global challenge. Governments worldwide are attempting to address this problem through various recycling campaigns. Cossu and her team reviewed existing research exploring the influence of product-specific features on recycling behaviour and the effects of recycling options on resource usage. But they found relatively little focus on the effectiveness of different recycling systems. These systems often vary in complexity and category specificity. Understanding how these characteristics impact their effectiveness is crucial to good waste management strategies.

Exploring consumer preferences

The study aims to inform consumers and policymakers about how the complexity of a recycling system influences behaviour and to identify common mistakes made during the recycling process. The researchers are also looking to provide guidelines for interventions that could address these issues. To achieve this, they conducted 4 preregistered studies investigating consumer preferences for simpler systems. They used systems that group all recyclables into one category and more complex systems that separate recyclable materials into multiple categories, comparing their overall effectiveness.

Testing different systems

In the first study, 150 participants evaluated 3 recycling systems of varying complexity (2, 3, or 6 bins) while imagining they needed to dispose of their household waste. The findings indicated a preference for less complex systems (2 or 3 bins). The participants believed these systems would be more accepted within their communities and more effective than the 6-bin system.

Study 2 involved 189 students and examined the effectiveness of simple (2 bins: recyclables and general waste) versus complex recycling systems (5 bins: paper, plastic, metal, glass, and general waste). The variables measured included the tendency to waste, the number of recyclable items allocated to the general waste bin, and the rate of overinclusive recycling (the number of non-recyclable items placed into the recyclables bin). Results showed that while the complex system resulted in lower waste, it also led to higher overinclusive recycling compared to the simpler system.

In Study 3, involving 300 participants, the team investigated whether the lower specificity of the simple system influenced outcomes by introducing a condition with more specific labels for the simple system: paper, plastic, metal, glass. Increasing the specificity of the simple system slightly raised overinclusive recycling but did not significantly reduce the tendency to waste.

Based on these findings, the researchers then evaluated an intervention aimed at reducing the tendency to waste in the simpler system. This involved allowing participants to consult recycling guidelines. The result of this intervention was that actively consulting these guidelines led to a decrease in the tendency to waste, particularly in simple systems. It also resulted in lower rates of overinclusive recycling.

Good results with using QR codes

Given the consumer preference for simpler systems, providing easily accessible recycling guidelines emerges as a promising intervention to achieve recycling effectiveness. A good example of such a simple and effective measure is placing a QR code on recycling bins.

This research was presented at the European Marketing Conference in Budapest and the Association for Consumer Research Conference in Paris. Cossu and her colleagues are currently collecting final data (both lab and field) and plan to submit their findings to a journal soon. While it is too early to determine whether there will be follow-up studies, the researchers are committed to exploring how elements of the recycling system can impact waste management. Their work will hopefully contribute to new approaches to resolve this issue.