Academic Studies About Impact of Bin Designs, Placement & Signage on Recycling Behavior

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Note: This database is intended to catalog studies, surveys and other research projects related to recycling / waste signage and bin design. We invite anyone familiar with relevant studies not listed here, or working on new research to reach out to network or add to this catalog. Alec Cooley at alecc@buschsystems.org, or Brenda Pulley, bdpulley@outlook.com.

https://cleanriver.com/recycling-labels-campus-waste-diversion/

Tested different sign conditions in high traffic indoor areas on University campus. Condition #1: Words only; Condition #2: simple icons of trash can and bottle; Condition #3: words + images of common materials; Measured time it takes for people to make discard decision

Found higher rate of contamination / lower recovery with words only. Improved with generic icons. Best w/ material-specific images. Report did not give a clear presentation of recovery / contamination rates.

Words v images

Non-recycling

A series of 8 experiments investigated the association between pictorial and verbal representations and the psychological distance of the referent objects from the observer. The results showed that people better process pictures that represent proximal objects and words that represent distal objects than pictures that represent distal objects and words that represent proximal objects. These results were obtained with various psychological distance dimensions (spatial, temporal, and social), different tasks (classification and categorization), and different measures (speed of processing and selective attention). The authors argue that differences in the processing of pictures and words emanate from the physical similarity of pictures, but not words, to the referents. Consequently, perceptual analysis is commonly applied to pictures but not to words. Pictures thus impart a sense of closeness to the referent objects and are preferably used to represent such objects, whereas words do not convey proximity and are preferably used to represent distal objects in space, time, and social perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0015835

Factors that decrease the time cost of recycling have significant positive correlations with recycling rates in multifamily dwellings (MFDs). Waste-management experts have previously used anecdotes to infer a link between convenience and waste-diversion rates in MFD recycling programs. This article confirms and quantifies that link by applying probit and double-censored tobit analysis to survey data from 214 households in Urbana, Illinois. We find a strong connection between recycling rates and the perceived presence of adequate interior space for processing recyclables, and distance to recycling bins affects container-recycling intensity. The results have implications for cost-effective design of MFD recycling programs.

Economic Inquiry 43 (2): 426–438.

Comparison of recycling outcomes in three types of recycling collection units

Andrews, Gregoire, Rasmussen, & Witowich

Commercial institutions have many factors to consider when implementing an effective recycling program. This study examined the effectiveness of three different types of recycling bins on recycling accuracy by determining the percent weight of recyclable material placed in the recycling bins, comparing the percent weight of recyclable material by type of container used, and examining whether a change in signage increased recycling accuracy. Data were collected over 6 weeks totaling 30 days from 3 different recycling bin types at a Midwest University medical center. Five bin locations for each bin type were used. Bags from these bins were collected, sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable material, and weighed. The percent recyclable material was calculated using these weights. Common contaminates found in the bins were napkins and paper towels, plastic food wrapping, plastic bags, and coffee cups. The results showed a significant difference in percent recyclable material between bin types and bin locations. Bin type 2 was found to have one bin location to be statistically different (p=0.048), which may have been due to lack of a trash bin next to the recycling bin in that location. Bin type 3 had significantly lower percent recyclable material (p<0.001), which may have been due to lack of a trash bin next to the recycling bin and increased contamination due to the combination of commingled and paper into one bag. There was no significant change in percent recyclable material in recycling bins post signage change. These results suggest a signage change may not be an effective way, when used alone, to increase recycling compliance and accuracy. This study showed two or three-compartment bins located next to a trash bin may be the best bin type for recycling accuracy.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/189479582.pdf

Compares impact of 1) three different styles of bins on sorting accuracy, and 2) different signage conditions. Found no impact beyond presence or absence of trash bins.

Having trash next to recycling bin improves accuracy.

Effectiveness of 3-D Compared to 2-D Signage on Recycling Behaviour

Using 3-D objects as examples, rather than 2-D icons on signs, to help people learn recycling categories has shown mixed results in observational studies, so an online experimental study was conducted to attempt to clarify the findings. The main hypothesis was that participants would perform faster and more accurately if they learned the recycling categories through images of 3-D objects rather than by 2-D icons. Furthermore, several exploratory hypotheses were suggested: Participants given both types of signage—3-D + 2-D—would perform better than the 3-D and 2-D conditions on their own, and subjective workload and user engagement would predict differences in performance between conditions. An ANOVA found no differences between any of the three conditions in terms of accuracy of sorting performance, subjective workload, or user engagement. However, the 3-D + 2-D condition demonstrated a significant, small-to-medium sized increase in sorting speed when compared to the other two conditions, suggesting that combined 3-D + 2-D signage speeds up decision making without negatively impacting accuracy. One possible explanation is that redundancy of information in the combined condition reduced uncertainty and led to increased speed. However, replication of this result is required because of some limitations inherent to the current study

https://journals.kpu.ca/index.php/KPSJ/article/download/1555/1013/

Undergrad project. Not yet reviewed

The amount of non-recyclable material in recycle-bins creates extra cost because of the extra labor required for sorting and transportation. This study aims to investigate if the problem is caused by the placement of the recycle- bins. We analyzed whether basic placement changes in proximity would reduce the amount of wastes in recycle-bins and also whether these changes will maximize the recyclable materials in the recycle bins, thus, helping the recycling process to be more profitable. There was a significant decrease of externally derived contamination when recycle-bins were placed further, relative to waste-bins. However, that reduced the recyclable materials also. The recycle-bins were placed further, relative to waste-bins. However, that reduced the recyclable materials also. The conclusion was placing a bin nearer to foot traffic increases its litter load. It is recommended that in places with higher amount of recyclable material, recycle-bins to be placed nearer, regardless of externally derived contamination, in order to obtain as much recyclable material as possible.

https://www.walshmedicalmedia.com/open-access/relative-location-of-bins-and-its-effects-on-recycling-in-campus-2252-5211-1000220.pdf

Restrictive openings

The relationship between receptacle design, normative conduct, environmental concerns, and recycling behavior

Conservation psychology is a growing field that explores how people interact with and interpret their roles in the environment. I conducted a three part study that incorporates conservation psychology principles to examine the effects of recycling bin design and normative conduct on recycling behavior as well as the ecological orientation of UTC students based on survey responses. Experiment 1 compared two recycling bin conditions (non-lidded bin vs. bin covered with a lid with two holes indicating the shape of recyclables) to determine which bin design was more effective in promoting recycling behavior. No difference was found between the two designs. In Experiment 2, three conditions were established based on the level of recyclables (plastic bottles) in a garbage can placed next to a lidded recycling bin. Each level represented a different social norm: empty (no one threw anything away); 1 plastic bottle (only one person threw away a recyclable); 3/4s full with recyclables (the majority of people threw away recyclables). I found that participants were more likely to recycle when only one conspicuous stimulus (the plastic bottle) was present. I theorize that the presence of a single bottle drew attention to an instance of non-recycling behavior, encouraging the positive normative conduct of recycling. Experiment 3 gathered UTC students’ responses to the New Ecological Paradigm scale, distributed as an online survey, and examined relationships within the data. The total mean NEP score of the sample was 3.43, indicating a slightly more ecological world view. There were relationships between gender, political affiliation, and mean NEP scores. These three experiments serve to help build a strong working base for understanding environmentalism and recycling behavior on UTC’s campus and contribute to the growing body of conservation psychology literature.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/22ed/77f7e1898818428d10647b548a36df7be45b.pdf?_ga=2.60363949.1437238171.1570715971-562311437.1570715971

Waste Separation in Cafeterias: A Study among University Students in the Netherlands

Arnadottir, Kok, van Gils & Ten Hoor

Recycling waste is important to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses. The aim of this project was to understand determinants of cafeteria waste separation behavior among university students. First, the determinants of waste separation behavior among university students (n = 121) were explored using an online questionnaire. In study 2 (pre-/post-test design), the effect of a small intervention (based on study 1) on actual waste sorting behavior was observed. Finally, a semi-qualitative study in 59 students was conducted as process evaluation of the intervention. The following results were revealed: (1) Students have limited knowledge about waste separation, have a high intention to separate waste, are positive about waste separation in general, and believe that they can separate waste correctly. (2) Just over half of the waste is correctly recycled. An intervention with extra information had no significant effect on improving recycling behavior. (3) Students evaluated the intervention positively. Some students suggested that more information should be available where the actual decision making takes place. Ultimately, this paper concludes that although students have a positive attitude and are willing to behave pro-environmentally, there is a gap between intention and actual behavior. These results may also apply to other organizations and members of those organizations. New interventions are needed to trigger students to make correct waste separation decisions where the actual decision making takes place.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6338995/

An evaluation of environmental arrangement on recycling and contamination rate on a college campus

Atkinson, Simonds, Parry-Cruwys, Wilson & MacDonald

Improper disposal of recyclable materials continues to impact environmental sustainability efforts. To produce the greatest environmental change with fewest resources, recyclable materials must be correctly sorted, and nonrecyclable materials must not contaminate the recycling bin. Antecedent environmental modifications have been successful at increasing sustainability-related behavior. Most research has focused on increasing correct recycling, and fewer studies have evaluated the effect of these interventions on contamination of nonrecyclables in the recycling bin. In the current study, researchers evaluated the effects of environmental modifications on recycling and contamination in two academic hallways on a college campus. Antecedent modifications in the form of signs, bin placement, and a food and liquid bin or a specialized recycling bin lid were examined. Results from previous research was partially replicated in the current study. Differences between hallways along both measures suggest that contamination rate is an underutilized but important metric in the evaluation of recycling efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-72661-001

Above-bin Signage

Increasing recycling in office environments: The effects of specific, informative cues

Austin, J., Hatfield, D., Grindle, A., & Bailey, J.

Florida State University

We investigated the effects of prompts on the recycling behavior of approximately 217 faculty, staff, and graduate students in two academic departments of a large university. During the intervention, two signs were posted in each department. One sign prompted recyding (posted above the recyding receptade), and the other sign prompted proper disposal of trash (posted above the trash receptade). Results of a multiple baseline design across the two departments indicated that the sign prompt increased recycling behavior. Installation of the sign prompts in dose proximity to receptacles in Department A resulted in a 54% improvement over baseline. Posting of sign prompts over containers 4 m apart in Department B resulted in a 17% improvement, whereas positioning the signs and receptacles in dose proximity resulted in a 29% improvement over baseline.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297743/

Tested trash bins and recycling boxes in two different offices. In one office, bins were directly next to each other, while in the other trash and recyclingwere separated by 4m. The study measured baseline by counting the recyclable items placed in each bin. Second condition introduced signs above both bins inboth settings listing what went into each. In both situations, the signs led to substantial increase in recyclables sorted into recycling bins

Adding signs w/recycling information directly above trash and recycling bins (separate from small labels in the bins themselves) resulted in higher recovery of recyclables.

Signage - not recycling specific

Ergonomic Guidelines for Traffic Sign Design Increase Sign Comprehension

Objective: This research directly tests the relationship between comprehension probability of highway signs and the extent to which they comply with three ergonomic principles of design: sign-content compatibility, familiarity, and standardization. Background: A recent study that evaluated comprehension of traffic signs in four different countries showed that comprehension level varies widely and is apparently related to the extent that the sign's design incorporates ergonomic guidelines for good design (D. Shinar, R. E. Dewar, H. Summala, & L. Zakowska 2003). Method: Participants were presented with 30 signs and asked to describe each sign's meaning. They then evaluated each sign in terms of each of three ergonomic principles. In addition, a group of human factors/ergonomics experts evaluated each sign on its standardization and compatibility. Results: There were high correlations between the ratings of the students and the ratings of the experts on compatibility (rho = .94) and on standardization (rho = .84), validating the use of the students' evaluations of the signs on these variables. There was a great variability in signs' comprehension and high and statistically significant correlations between the comprehension level of each sign and the extent to which it complied with compatibility (R = .76), familiarity (R = .89), and standardization (R = .88) principles. Conclusions: The more signs conform to universal ergonomic principles of good design, the more likely they are to be comprehended by drivers of different cultural backgrounds. Application: Sign design should be guided by established ergonomics principles to enhance comprehension, especially for drivers who have not had any prior encounters with specific signs.

https://www.academia.edu/32879377/Ergonomic_Guidelines_for_Traffic_Sign_Design_Increase_Sign_Comprehension

Signage - not recycling specific

Standardization

The effect of context and ergonomic design of traffic signs on driver comprehension - A preliminary evaluation

Ben-Bassat & Shinar, 2006; Shinar, Dewar, Summala,& Zakowska, 2003

A previous study found high and statistically significant correlations between the probability of compre-hending a traffic sign and the extent to which the sign complies with three ergonomic principles of design: sign-content compatibility, familiarity, and standardization. The current study examined whether providing participants with the context in which the sign is presented might help them understand the meaning of the sign. In addition, the study presented a preliminary attempt to overcome misunderstood and poorly unders-tood signs, according to two ergonomic guidelines (compatibility and standardization). Participants were presented with 20 local road signs, both with and without providing the context in which the signs were presented, and were asked to describe their meaning. In a second experiment, the most poorly understood signs were redesigned and driver comprehension was tested again, using a new set of participants. Results showed that context had a significant positive effect on sign comprehension, and partly showed an increase in driver understanding of signs as a result of ergonomic-based redesign.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273297037_The_effect_of_context_and_ergonomic_design_of_traffic_signs_on_driver_comprehension_-_A_preliminary_evaluation

Centralized collections

A Behavioral Approach to the Development of a Campus-Wide Recycling System

This article describes efforts to establish a more effective campus-wide recycling system at Western Michigan University. A study was designed as a continuation of an established line of behavioral recycling research, and research methods from the field of behavior science were employed. The study took place in an academic building whose landfill waste contained 20 percent recyclable material. Bins for recycling were not present in classrooms and classroom landfill bins were being utilized for disposal of recyclable bottles and cans. Remediation included removal of classroom landfill bins, addition of centrally located comprehensive receptacles, and development of new signage. Results showed significant increases in the amount of recyclable material found in recycling receptacles. These findings differ from the literature, which recommends placing recycling bins in all possible areas of waste generation. Discussion includes potential reasons for this difference, along with factors that led to the integration of this research into campus policy and practice.

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/sus.2017.29082.kb

Based on same research as Binder 2012

Removing classroom trash and paper recycling bins (no bottle & can recycling previously existed in classrooms), combined with new standardized bin stations with above-bin signage in hallways resulted in a 20% increase in recycling collected (by weight) as well as reductions in recyclables going in the trash.

No change to the number of litter items left in classrooms was observed following the change.

Centralized collections

The Effects of Replacing Dispersed Trash and Recycling Bins with Integrated Waste Receptacles on the Accuracy of Waste Sorting in an Academic Building

Western Michigan University

Numerous researchers and theorists have attempted to explain the existence of the gap between the possession of environmental knowledge and awareness and the display of pro-environmental behavior (Glasser, 2007; Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). Behavior analysis is uniquely aligned to contribute to this discussion through its emphasis on the role of controlling variables in behavior change. A growing number of behavioral research studies address the challenges of group-contingencies in an effort to solve real-world gaps (Lehman & Geller, 2004). This study was designed as a continuation of the line of behavioral research designed to increase recycling rates and also as an attempt to solve an issue presented in an academic building. During baseline measures, 20-30% of the landfill waste was comprised of recyclable material. Bins for plastic/glass/metal were not present in classrooms and classroom landfill bins were being utilized for disposal of bottles and cans. The treatment package included removal of all classroom bins, addition of centrally located, integrated landfill and recycling bins, along with the development of new signage. Results showed a decrease in the amount of recyclable material inaccurately sorted into landfill receptacles. These findings vary from previous recommendations that recycling bins be placed in all possible areas of waste generation.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9c3b/c50df662b5b883370cbcd620092115b2a3a9.pdf?_ga=2.68820113.1437238171.1570715971-562311437.1570715971

Based on same research as Binder, Glasser & Fuqua 2017

Removing classroom trash and paper recycling bins (no bottle & can recycling previously existed in classrooms), combined with new standardized bin stations with above-bin signage in hallways resulted in a 20% increase in recycling collected (by weight) as well as reductions in recyclables going in the trash.

No change to the number of litter items left in classrooms was observed following the change.

At the moment of disposal: how messaging techniques at university public outdoor waste receptacles can improve the solid waste stream

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

This study aims to test how waste disposal behaviors can be changed such as higher recycling diversion and lower contamination rates using signage and messaging techniques at public outdoor waste receptacles on a university campus. Design/methodology/approach – The experiment took place at five public outdoor receptacle stations, each with a landfill and recycling receptacle, which were located in highly trafficked areas on the University of Florida campus. The study consisted of three phases, each lasting for three weeks. During phase one, no signage and messaging were introduced; during phase two, negative and concrete messaging was placed on signs that stood above the two receptacles; and during phase three, positive and abstract messaging was placed above the receptacles. Waste audits were conducted by separating and weighing the waste. Findings – With signage and messaging implementation, the recycling diversion rates increased and contamination in the recycling receptacles decreased. However, there was not a consistent decrease in contamination in the landfill receptacles. The study also showed that the negative and concrete messaging was more effective at both increasing diversion rates and decreasing contamination rates at the recycling receptacles.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2022-0069/full/html

In their 1994 study, the authors compared a central office recycle bin versus desk-side recycle
bins. While only 28% of paper was recycled in the central recycle bin condition, 85% to 94% of
all recyclable paper was recycled in the desk-side condition. Follow-up assessments, conducted
one, two, three, and seven months after the change to desk-side bins, demonstrated that 84%-
98% of paper continued to be recycled in the desk-side set-up

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297784/

The Effects of Information and Container Proximity on Paper Recycling

Contrary to popular belief, paper products are the one material that has actually increased (in percent of total waste) in u.s. landfills in the past 25 years (Rathje, Hughes, Archer, Wilson & Casselles, 1989). While paper recycling programs have become more commonplace today, their effectiveness has plateaued. To better understand how to increase a person's recycling behavior, this experiment, using a multiple baseline design, measured the effects of (1) information and (2) recycling container proximity on the paper recycling levels of 152 undergraduate students. The results of the experiment suggest that increasing a recycling container's proximity and educating a person about recycling can influence a person's level of paper recycling

https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1055&context=psych_honproj

Design, Placement

Survey of perceptions

Carrico, Fried, Wang, Casper & O'Neill

University of Colorado, Boulder

This research proceeded in two phases comprising six individual studies. In Phase I we conducted a literature review to determine what past research suggests about how to improve waste diversion on college campuses? Phase II involved a series of empirical studies to gather information that could improve the design of recycling initiatives at campuses around the country. Study 1 used qualitative interviews to assess the perceptions and recommendations of CU community members regarding CU’s current recycling programs? Studies 2 and 3 assessed existing CU initiatives to promote recycling at sporting events. Study 2 examined the effectiveness of CU’s program to encourage recycling at tailgating events and the correlates of participation in this program. Study 3 assessed the impact of Aquafina’s plastic bottle recycling promotion “Bring your Bottle Back to Life”, which ran during CU basketball games. Study 4 examined the impact of bin design and configuration on contamination rates. Specifically, the impact of bin lid shapes, configurations and/or informational labels were assessed. Finally, studies 5 and 6 examined the influence of informational and motivational messages on attitudes about recycling, willingness to recycle, and observed recycling behavior.

Research suggests that informational signs are needed to convey essential information; however, beyond this, they have little impact on proper waste disposal (Studies 5-6). Appropriate information needs to provided, but efforts to modify information did not reduce contamination and, in some cases, increased contamination when the information became complicated or confusing to participants (Studies 4 & 6). Adding images to labels increased contamination by 15%.

Sites that contain only a landfill or recycling container, for example, are more contaminated than sites that offer both a landfill and recycling bins (Studies 2 and 4). The reason is straightforward: many individuals are unwilling to carry waste with them to a secondary site that is not close by and immediately visible (Study 5)

Study 4 suggested that using specially shaped lids to signal the type of waste (i.e., paper, container) has no impact on contamination rates.

Compostable plastics consistently emerged as a major source of contamination in recycling bins, and a major source of confusion among patrons. Compostable plastics are particularly difficult to address through improved signage. There is very little that distinguishes recyclable plastics from compostable plastics. Further, individuals are reluctant to use numbers and tend to rely on the features of the container to determine the proper placement. Developing a recognizable feature of compostable plastics would go a great distance towards reducing contamination of recyclables.

Plastic Bottle Recycling and Environmental Behaviors of University of Colorado Basketball Fans

NC State / CU Boulder

This research project was conducted over the University of Colorado (CU) Men's basketball season (January – March, 2016). The study utilized web-based surveys and experiential in-game sampling (via text messaging) to measure perceptions of recycling, fan sustainable behavior at events and at home, perception of sustainability actions at sport events and the impact of a plastic bottle recycling promotion, Bring Your Bottle Back to Life. Study also covered in report Carrico, Fried, Wang, Casper & O'Neill 2017

Landfill or Recycle? Pro-Environmental Receptacle Labeling Increases Recycling Contamination

While aggregate recycling rates in developed countries have plateaued in recent years, the contamination rate of recycling streams due to consumers incorrectly recycling items that cannot be recycled has grown rapidly. We propose that this problem may be partially due to persuasive messages, such as pro-environmental labeling on bins, that encourage recycling, but may lack guidance on how to do so accurately. For example, a number of public garbage receptacles across the United States are labeled “Landfill” instead of “Trash,” encouraging recycling by making the negative impact of garbage more salient. However, this labeling may also lead consumers to incorrectly “recycle” items that cannot be recycled (i.e., overinclusive recycling). Two field studies suggest that pro-environmental receptacle labeling can lead to overinclusive recycling, and a controlled experiment provides preliminary process evidence involving anticipated emotion from trashing versus recycling. Research opportunities and public policy implications for pro-environmental messaging are discussed.

https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.1216

Participants in a lab situation were far more likely to place un-recyclable polystyrene cups into a recycling bin when the corresponding trash bin was labeled "Landfill" than when it was labeled "Trash". Results were statistically significant, and suggest the stigma of "landfill" and by extension other terms that imply value can influence wish-cycling.

Purpose: The problem of plastic wastes is serious nowadays worldwide, although plastic wastes recycling is already in practice. To promote sustainability in plastic waste recycling, the quality of wastes collected should be maintained well, resulted from a good recycling practice. This paper aims to study a new plastic recycling bin (PRB) and poster interventions on the enhancement of university hall residential students' proenvironmental knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviours (KAB) and actual recycling behaviours; informative and feedback posters were used as interventions. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a quasi-experimental setting to examine the effects of the new PRB on students' KAB and actual behaviours in recycling, whereas the quality of the recycled plastic was measured according to the extent of cleanliness (CLE), separation (SEP), compression (COM) and sortedness (SOR). Findings: Results showed that significant positive enhancements in KAB only happened with the use of blended interventions, which included promotion through the PRB and posters, suggesting that the use of the PRB and posters was useful in achieving better recycling behaviour. Originality/value: Blended intervention study by using new design plastic recycling bin and poster on the effect of students' proenvironmental and recycling KAB.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/emerald-publishing/university-halls-plastics-recycling-a-blended-intervention-study-k9fQj4W8qs?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Bbins

Campus sustainability: An integrated model of college students’ recycling behavior on campus

Proposing an integrated model based on multiple theoretical approaches, such as the theory of planned behavior, the model of goal-directed behavior and self-determination theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine factors influencing college students’ campus recycling intention and actual recycling behavior. An online survey method was used to test the proposed model with college students. A total of 434 students participated in the survey. This study found that self-determined motivation, attitude toward recycling, perceived behavioral control and negative anticipated emotion had direct effects on campus recycling intention, while recycling intention and self-determined motivation influenced students’ actual campus recycling behavior. The findings of the study may not be generalizable to the broader population. Respondents’ self-reported assessment of their recycling behaviors may also be a drawback of the study. However, the study provides statistical evidence testing the proposed model of campus recycling. The study’s findings provide communication planners for university recycling and sustainability departments with communication and message strategies to enhance college students’ recycling behavior. The study proposes a more comprehensive, tailored model that integrates other compelling theoretical models, to address college students’ sustainability engagement on campus.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-06-2018-0107/full/html

Research and development of a new waste collection bin to facilitate education in plastic recycling

Plastic recycling has been an alternative method for solid waste management apart from landfill and incineration. However, recycling quality is affected when all plastics are discarded into a single recycling bin that increases cross contaminations and operation cost to the recycling industry. Following the engineering design process, a new eight-compartment plastic waste collection bin is designed to facilitate plastic recycling and sorting at source, which also provides insight to educators about problem solving on environmental issues. The volumes of plastic wastes collected match the design dimensions well. Further education about plastic recycling is required to improve the recycling quality.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1533015X.2016.1141723

Conceptual compatibility of recycle bin color: From a cross-cultural perspective

Increased waste production is a by-product of economic growth, and that is why countries worldwide are working on turning waste into useful resources and enhancing recycling effectiveness. Aside from using symbols and words for identifying which recycle bins for which types of recyclable materials, color is also a useful code and visual element in recycle bin design. This study conducted questionnaire survey (n = 418) among participants from Taiwan and from East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) to explore the current condition of resource recycling and determine the best color-material pairings. This study's result suggests that the most frequently recycled material by participants from Taiwan and from EAP were paper and plastic. The study participants sorted and recycled materials as frequently as five to six days a week. From analyzing the pairings of four colors (red, green, blue, and yellow) with four recyclable materials (paper, glass, plastic, and metal), differences were found between participants from Taiwan and those from EAP. Because resource classification and color coding are different from country to country, this study found that color provides limited information of recycle bins.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Conceptual-compatibility-of-recycle-bin-color%3A-From-Chang/90e36e77186fe4a5580cc9fe720634082d3b4307

Signage - not recycling specific

Information quantity and communication effectiveness: Low‐impact messages on wilderness trailside bulletin boards

This study assessed the attention wilderness visitors gave to environmental messagesencouraging low-impact practices posted on trailside bulletin boards at a nationalwilderness area, the ability of visitors to retain message content, and their ability tocorrectly identify agency-recommended practices. The number of posted messages wasvaried from two to eight, as well as whether there was a map posted beside themessages, to assess the effect of information quantity and a message attractant Hikersexperienced a sign&ant increase in knowledge levels following exposure to messages,but there was evidence of information overload when numerous messages were posted.As the number of messages increased. total message attention increased, but theattention devoted to each message and the ability to retain message content declined.This finding helps explain why hikers exposed to all eight messages could not identifyany more of the agency-recommended low-impact practices than those exposed to onlytwo messages. Posting a map had no effect on message attention or message contentretention

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248981695_Information_quantity_and_communication_effectiveness_Low-impact_messages_on_wilderness_trailside_bulletin_boards

Eindhoven University of Technology

Two studies tested littering norm activation by trash can design. The first was a scenario study using a 4 (norm type: social injunctive vs. social descriptive vs. personal vs. control) × 2 (activation type: explicit vs. implicit activation) between-group design, with judgments of a litterer as the dependent variable. Explicit norm activation was more effective than implicit activation. A fieldstudy subsequently tested the effect of personal norm activation on actual littering behavior, following a 2 (explicit activation: no vs. yes) × 2 (Implicit activation: no vs. yes) between-group design. Here, both explicit activation through a verbal prompt and implicit activation through design had significant effects, reducing the amount of litter by 50%. A post hoc survey revealed significant effects of age and gender on the personal norm against littering. These findings helped explain the absence of norm activation effects in the youngest age group as found in the field study.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215827741_Persuasive_trash_cans_Activation_of_littering_norms_by_design

Studied role of normative messaging on bins to influence litter behavior

Recycling in Multi-Family Dwellings: Increasing Participation and Decreasing Contamination.

De Young, R., S. Boerschig, S. Carney, A. Dillenbeck, M. Elster, S. Horst, and B. Thomson

This study explored the promotion of recycling in multi-family dwellings. An experimental design investigated four behavior change techniques: biweekly postcards giving specific feedback to each dwelling unit as to quantity and contamination of the recyclables, newsletters giving general information on recycling and the amount recycled by the city as a whole, written pledges committing households to recycle for a specified period, and volunteer coordinators who distributed information and answered questions from residents. The effectiveness of these techniques was compared against that of a control group. The findings suggest that volunteer coordinators are not an effective intervention technique in multi-family dwellings, and that feedback and commitment techniques are useful mainly for managing contamination in medium sized complexes. The data also suggest that the size of a multi-family dwelling complex significantly affects the amount of recyclables collected and the level of contamination. Smaller complexes with less than ten units recycled up to three times the amount on a per unit basis as complexes with more units. Smaller units also had fewer problems with contamination in their recyclables. Several explanations are offered for the poor participation and performance in larger complexes.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30844251_Recycling_in_multi-family_dwellings_Increasing_participation_and_decreasing_contamination

Sorting behavior

UC San Diego; U of Alberta

Over the last several decades, sociologists have investigated the public's increasing concern about the environment, but they have had little success explaining attitudes toward the environment or the adoption of pro-environment behaviors like recycling. We examine the role of social context in the link between individual attitudes about the environment and recycling behavior by comparing communities that vary in their access to recycling programs. Results show that people with access to a structured recycling program have much higher levels of recycling than do people lacking such access. Furthermore, individual attitudes toward the environment affect recycling behavior only in the community with easy access to a structured recycling program. Individual concern about the environment enhances the effect of the recycling program, but does not overcome the barriers presented by lack of access.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236274107_The_Social_Context_of_Recycling

Observed people using bins to identify trends correlation demographic, other characteristics and sorting behavior, and between engagement w/ signage and sorting behavior.

Multi-family

Convenience improves composting and recycling rates in high-density residential buildings

DiGiacomo, Wu, Lenkic, Fraser, Zhao & Kingstone

University of British Columbia

Increasing volumes of solid waste, implicated in environmental pollution and health problems, are central to the current environmental crisis. In two randomized field experiments, we demonstrate that convenience dramatically boosts recycling and composting rates in multi-family dwellings and university residences. When compost bins were placed on each floor in a multi-family residence, instead of on the ground floor, composting rates increased by 70%, diverting 27 kilograms of compost from the landfill per unit per year. When recycling stations were placed just meters from suites in student residences, instead of in the basement, recycling increased by 147% (container), and 137% (paper), and composting increased by 139%, diverting 23, 22, and 14 kilograms of containers, paper, and compost, respectively, from the landfill per person per year. Simply making recycling and composting convenient can significantly increase waste diversion, and as such this single intervention has important implications for waste management and environmental policy.

https://zhaolab.psych.ubc.ca/pdfs/Convenience_JEPM_2018.pdf

Tested recycling participation based on whether recycling placed next to trash chutes vs. less convenient locations

When recycling stations were placed just meters from suites in student residences, instead of in the basement, recycling increased by 147% (containers), and 137% (paper), and composting increased by 139%, diverting 23, 22, and 14 kilograms of containers, paper, and compost, respectively, from the landfill per person per year.

Compared two different forms of inconvienence: 1) Walking long distance to paired trash & recycling reduced recovery from approx. .7 kg/person/week to .3kg. 2)Bypassing trash chute on floor to take elevator to basement for recycling reduced recovery from approx. .7kg to 1.5kg (paper) or .08kg. Takeaways: distance alone reduced people's tolerance for sorting even though trash equally inconvenient. But separating the streams with a convenience bias toward trash cut recovery to less than 25% of convenient condition.

It Matters a Hole Lot: Perceptual Affordances of Waste Containers Influence Recycling Compliance

This article examines whether specialized lids on waste receptacles affect recycling compliance in public settings. Thirty waste receptacles were assigned to a lids-present and lids-absent condition, and the number of recyclable items found in recycling and waste bins served as the dependent measure. Results indicated the presence of specialized recycling container lids increased the beverage-recycling rate by 34%, which suggests that perceptual affordances of specialized container lids improve recycling compliance. Possible underlying mechanisms and implications for institutions seeking to promote recycling as an environmentally responsible behavior are discussed.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237718144_It_Matters_a_Hole_LotPerceptual_Affordances_of_Waste_Containers_Influence_Recycling_Compliance

Campus recycling

Effective strategies for enhancing waste management at university campuses

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and assess the waste management strategies that should be priorities for higher education institutions. The role of policy instruments (i.e. purchasing policies and recycling initiatives) in implementing sustainable zero-waste management programs at higher education institutions was investigated through comparison of American top-level and Western Kentucky University (WKU) benchmark universities. Design/methodology/approach Waste minimization-oriented policy instruments implemented at American top-level and WKU benchmark universities were analyzed through policy evaluation techniques. Digital surveys were distributed to sustainability coordinators at WKU benchmark and top-level universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with survey participants. Findings It is important to identify well-defined temporal periods with goals and allocated tasks for direct and indirect stakeholders. Time periods should include planning for readiness programs and infrastructural needs, along with performing comprehensive waste characterization studies. As the waste program matures, the creation of integrated waste management policies with specific responsibilities for all stakeholders and departments will be required. Research limitations/implications The sampling of universities evaluated in this research is not representative of all universities in the USA or internationally, as they can vary widely. Yet, general waste management trends applicable to most universities can be gleaned from this research. Practical implications Widely varying zero-waste strategies are readily implemented at universities. A holistic review of successful waste management plans highlights key management approaches that should be included in all plans to ensure their success. Originality/value This study is one of the first of its kind to holistically evaluate policy factors influencing effective zero-waste management at higher education institutions.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/emerald-publishing/effective-strategies-for-enhancing-waste-management-at-university-aZN3kXCfqp?key=emerald

A two year design research partnership with a local governing body (Metro Vancouver) explored the role of participatory design in the creation of a service touch-point aimed at decreasing contamination in the streams of waste that are recycled in public city spaces. It considers how principles of behaviour change can be utilized in this inquiry for designing services that are used by the general public in an urban context. During the course of the project, participatory methodologies are used to facilitate conversations between municipal waste coordinators and designers. Through user observations, ethnographic research, co-creation and user testing this thesis argues for the need for participatory design to create effective services for cities. Through explorations of form, iconography, and systems this inquiry has culminated in the design of a street-scape recycling station and a human centered framework for municipalities called ‘citizen centered services’.

http://www.andreaseiken.com/#/masters-design/

Masters thesis about designing streetscape bins to address multiple operational and behavioral factors. Specifically, used signage place at angle for easy observation when approaching from multiple locations.

USING VISUAL PROMPTS AND A RAFFLE TO INCREASE RECYCLING ON CAMPUS

Landfills pose a risk to the current level of human development and population growth. Leachates have the potential of polluting the ground water which can cause severe birth defects and decrease the population. When municipal solid waste breaks down it produces methane gas creating debilitating health problems that are fatal. More attention will have to be directed toward sustainable growth by reducing the amount of recyclable materials being discarded as waste. Part of the public affairs mission of Missouri State University is to engage in pro-social behavior and incorporate the student body and community whenever possible. One way of modeling pro-social behavior is to increase student recycling behavior and decrease contamination in recycling plants. This demonstrates an investment in the community and provides a good model for the students. To this end, the university has invested significantly in recycling behavior by purchasing high-quality bins and placing them throughout most of the buildings on campus. In order to increase student recycling of plastic bottles and reduce the contamination of the recycling bins with trash items, the current study used prompts and a raffle to encourage recycling of plastic bottles and accurate placement of items in the bins in Hill Hall and Siceluff Hall. The results suggest that the interventions may have had a modest effect. Obstacles and limitations are discussed before describing how future research may continue productively

https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4501&context=theses

Centralized Collections

Evaluating Increased Effort For Item Disposal To Improve Recycling At a University

Fritz, Dupuis, Wu, Neal, Rettig, Lastrapes

University of Houston - Clear Lake

An evaluation of increased response effort to dispose of items was conducted to improve recycling at a university. Signs prompting individuals to recycle and notifying them of the location of trash and recycling receptacles were posted in each phase. During the intervention, trashcans were removed from the classrooms, and one large trashcan was available in the hallway next to the recycling receptacles. Results showed that correct recycling increased, and trash left in classrooms increased initially during the second intervention phase before returning to baseline levels.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/evaluating-increased-effort-for-item-disposal-to-improve-recycling-at-W1z0l0tN2V?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Bbins%26page%3D2

Similar to Binder (2016) and Henry (2019) measuring impact of removing trash bins from classrooms in favor of centralized hallway bins. Study repeated identical manipulation on two occasions during separate semesters: measuring impact to # of recyclable bottles & cans collected in centralized hallway recycling bins when stand-alone trash bins where removed from classrooms in nearby proximity. Found significant increase in recovery, and no increase in litter left in classrooms (beyond items attributed to unrelated variable)

Removing stand alone trash bins from classrooms resulted in signifant increase in recycling

Removing classroom trash bins had no appreciable impact on litter left in classrooms.

Convenence has greater influence on recycling than prompts

Influence of distance on the motivation and frequency of household recycling.

Industrial Engineering School, Universidad de Oviedo

People choose to participate in recycling for a variety of reasons. This study analyzes the relationship between the frequency of selective separation and general refuse disposal, and the influence on the recycling habit of the walking distance to drop off the materials. The methodology employed was one of personal interviews in the street, the study population being a region in the north of Spain (Principality of Asturias). More than one thousand people participated in this survey carried out in 2002. Five hypotheses related to three variables (the frequency for depositing recycling materials and general refuse, the distance to recycling and general bins, and the recycling habit) were tested using different statistical tests. Results show that the people who frequently go to the bins to dispose of general refuse are more likely to recycle some product at home, and in most cases, as the distance to the recycling bins decreases, the number of fractions that citizens separate and collect at home increases. Most of the results obtained have been compared with other previous in literature.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X04001503?via%3Dihub

Correlation between frequency of using waste bins, distance to recycling bin and habit in-home situations

People more likely recycle when bins are closer

Centralized collections

Convenience

Recycling infrastructure matters: development of a theory-based recycling bin configuration intervention at Fort Lewis College

This research intends to progress, in part, FLC efforts to establish interior recycling infrastructure. The study uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and specifically investigates the TPB variable of perceived behavioral control (PCB). In this study, I sought to examine one aspect of PBC by altering the configuration of recycling and trash bins inside academic buildings on a college campus. The intervention of this study removed small trash bins from classrooms and paired recycling and trash bins in academic building hallways. Results conveyed a substantial increase in the amount of recyclables discarded into recycling bins. Also, contamination continued to be an issue for both trash and recycling bins. Littering in the academic building classrooms was rare after small trash bins were removed. A workload saving was offered to Physical Plant custodial staff after the implementation of the change. Recommendations on future work are discussed.

Student capstone project. Limited pilot project to test all-in-the-hall arrangement. Results limited by size and methodology of project.

Resulted in improved recycling; less time for custodial waste collections and no; nominal if any increase in classroom litter.

Toward Zero Waste: Composting and Recycling for Sustainable Venue Based Events

Arizona State University

This study evaluated seven different waste management strategies for venue-based events and characterized the impacts of event waste management via waste audits and the Waste Reduction Model (WARM). The seven waste management scenarios included traditional waste handling methods (e.g. recycle and landfill) and management of the waste stream via composting, including purchasing where only compostable food service items were used during the events. Waste audits were conducted at four Arizona State University (ASU) baseball games, including a three game series. The findings demonstrate a tradeoff among CO2 equivalent emissions, energy use, and landfill diversion rates. Of the seven waste management scenarios assessed, the recycling scenarios provide the greatest reductions in CO2 eq. emissions and energy use because of the retention of high value materials but are compounded by the difficulty in managing a two or three bin collection system. The compost only scenario achieves complete landfill diversion but does not perform as well with respect to CO2 eq. emissions or energy. The three game series was used to test the impact of staffed bins on contamination rates; the first game served as a baseline, the second game employed staffed bins, and the third game had non staffed bins to determine the effect of staffing on contamination rates. Contamination rates in both the recycling and compost bins were tracked throughoutthe series. Contamination rates were reduced from34% inthe first game to 11% on the second night (with the staffed bins) and 23% contamination rates at the third game.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X15000562

Bin Infrastructure

The University Park Campus of Penn State is home to over 45,000 students plus the countless faculty and support staff. With such a large amount of people centrally located on one campus, the amount of waste created is directly correlated to the campus population. Here at University Park, students and staff produce over 15,000 tons of waste per year. In recent years, Penn State has dedicated huge amounts of time and resources in order to divert as much of that waste as they can away from landfills. The primary method to reduce this landfill waste is through the university’s recycling initiatives. Currently, according to the Sustainability Institute, Penn State diverts about 60% of its waste away from landfills through recycling programs, what they call “closing the loop.” This equates to about 9,000 tons of recycled waste every year. While this number is astounding, there is always room to grow and improve. In Penn State’s quest to improve, new and better recycling methods must be created. All over campus, receptacles are available to recycle almost all of the consumer waste on campus. These widely available recycling containers create convenient, easy recycling options for everyone, but could they be improved? The answer to this question lies in the HUB-Robeson Center. The building is one of the most highly trafficked areas on campus, as it offers everything from food to office space for student organizations. This, along with the opening of the newly renovated portion of the building, makes the HUB a perfect testing ground
for a new style of recycling receptacle. This HUB Recycling Patterns and Recommendations project was conducted as part of a senior�level Community, Environment and Development Capstone Course (CED 475). Through this study, we examined new recycling infrastructure in a specific location within the HUB and the associated behavioral patterns of recycling. In order to gain the information required to analyze recycling habits in the HUB, our group used a variety of methods including interviews,
observation, and focus groups.

Undergrad project

University of British Columbia

To test how the order of bins at waste disposal stations impacts sorting behaviour, 180 participants were observed disposing waste at a restaurant in three conditions of different bin orders, with 60 participants in each condition. The first condition had the bin order of: Compost, Garbage, and Recycle. The second condition had the bin order of: Garbage, Compost, and Recycle. The third condition had the bin order: Recycle, Compost, and Garbage. Waste sorting accuracy was measured as the percentage of the total number of items that each participant sorted into the correct bins, recorded independently by three observers. The means of the three conditions were 60.43% for condition 1, 66.50% for condition 2, and 59.76% for condition 3. Inter-rater reliability was high, with 81% of data collected in agreement. A one-way ANOVA was used to find any significant differences between the three means and independent samples t-tests were used to find any significant differences between any two conditions. All statistical tests found no significant differences, suggesting that the position of the garbage bin at waste disposal stations does not matter, and that future studies are needed to further explore the impact of bin order on waste sorting behaviour. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/undergraduateresearch/18861/items/1.0224801

Undergrad project. Tested different order of Recycle, Compost and Garbage bins in a campus restaurant. All stations on campus have standardized order, and study assumption was that this standard order would outperform other order conditions.

Attitudes and conditions for cooperation in a paper recycling program

Humphrey, Bord, Hammond, & Mann

Examined receptivity toward paper recycling in relation to people's accuracy with wastepaper separation among (a) personnel with 2 wastebaskets in offices, (b) personnel with divided wastebaskets, and (c) personnel depositing nonsalvageable waste outside offices. A large university was used for the research, and half of each study group received encouragement to cooperate throughout this experiment. Findings indicate that receptivity and accuracy in wastepaper separation were related positively, but separation was better where the required effort was minimal, as in offices with 2 wastebaskets. People's accuracy with wastepaper separation deteriorated over time, but not enough to nullify the effect of asking people to participate in a paper recycling program. Encouragement did not have a statistically significant impact on accuracy with separation. No change in receptivity toward manual wastepaper separation was found among participants after the experiment. It is concluded that office workers are willing and able to cooperate in paper recycling, though more needs to be known about improving people's accuracy in manual wastepaper separation. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/001391657791007

University of Georgia

Recycling rates have plateaued and recycling in public spaces has been targeted as a component that can help increase overall recycling rates. Eco-feedback technology and environmental psychology were combined to study recycling in a semi-public space in multiple social environments. A low-cost, low-energy electronic recycling bin design (WeRecycle bin) uses human-computer interaction and social principles to provide behavior-changing eco-feedback. Using mixed-methods research, we tested the WeRecycle bin in three different experiments by varying social settings and time of exposure, documenting impacts for public recycling. Results show that simple low-energy, low-cost eco-feedback technology resulted in statistically significant increases in recycling activity and can be an important tool in the promotion of recycling activity outside the home.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221515000_The_design_of_eco-feedback_technology

Awareness and Convenience are Important in Increasing Conference Sustainability

Jarchow, M.E., J.W. Rice, R.M. Ritson, and S.K. Hargreaves

Conference organizers are increasingly making efforts to reduce resource use at conferences, yet few responsibilities are placed on attendees. We hosted an ecology conference and offered attendees a discount if they took a sustainability pledge agreeing to reduce their resource use at the conference. In a post-conference survey, 83% of respondents reported fulfilling the pledge, but 62% indicated that convenience was the biggest obstacle impeding their ability to continue the pledge during and after the conference. We found great willingness by attendees to reduce resource use at and beyond our conference, and facilitating their participation was an important part of our success. KeywordsMidwest Ecology and Evolution Conference–Scientific meetings–Sustainability awareness

Sustainability Science 6 (2): 253–254

Design for disabilities

Recycling for all: preliminary criteria for the design of disability-friendly receptacles

The design of current waste bins, paper and bottle banks presents barriers for disabled and elderly persons, as pointed out by several Danish studies. In drawing up design criteria for the development of receptacles to be usable by persons with disabilities and senior citizens it is essential to be aware of the problems caused by different types of disability as well as old age. On the basis of general user requirements, preliminary criteria for the design of disability-friendly receptacles are proposed. In collaboration with a collecting agent, current receptacles modified in accordance to the preliminary design criteria will be tested in pilot studies in three selected housing estates in the municipalities of Frederiksberg and Copenhagen. It is the authors' hope that the testing of the modified receptacles will result in achieving more efficient source separation not only for disabled and elderly persons, but for all user groups.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/sage/recycling-for-all-preliminary-criteria-for-the-design-of-disability-U9p39H0Dk9?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Breceptacles

Restrictive opening

The effect of recycling bin design on PET bottle collection performance

Many municipalities in Japan have collected PET bottles as recyclable waste since 1980s. When caps are removed from bottles, it reduces collection and transportation costs because bottles can be easily compressed by collection trucks. However, PET bottles collected from recycling bins are usually capped and include other materials. This study designed 10 recycling bins for PET bottle to investigate the effect of design on cap removal efficiency and recycling contamination (foreign waste mixture). Recycling bins for PET bottle were designed focusing on four design items. They are (1) individual recycling bins specifically for bottles and caps or all-in-one recycling bin for both bottle and cap collections, (2) inside-visibility (see-through), (3) signage (wording like "Bottle" and "Cap") near insert slot and (4) insert slot shape. PET bottle collection performance of designed recycling bins was monitored in Suzukakedai campus of Tokyo Tech. Perceptive preferences of recycling bin designs and insert slot shapes were measured by online surveys. Experimental results indicate that insert slot with round shape contributed to significantly lower recycling contamination than bottle-like shape although perceptive preference of insert slots with bottle-like shape was higher than that of the round shape. Signage and all-in-one design is significantly effective to promote cap removal only when it was set with other recycling bins. On the other hand, signage is effective to decrease recycling contamination in a single setting. This study found that design effect depended on the setting condition of recycling bins in terms of cap removal and foreign waste disposal.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X1930368X

Color distinction

Restrictive opening

Perceptive preference toward recycling bin designs: Influential design item depending on waste type, the impact of past perception experiences on design preference, and the effect of color design on waste separation.

Efficient waste separation using recycling bins designed appropriately is promising for waste recycles. This study investigated recycling bin designs, in particular color and insert slot, and quantified perceptive preferences toward designs. This study hypothesized that design preference toward recycling bins is affected by past perceptions of recycling bin designs. Design categorization survey for 240 recycling bins used in public spaces shows that popular colors depend on design items and waste types. This study found that highly preferred colors were consistent with frequently used colors in certain design items, which was slot frame color for combustible and incombustible waste bins, and body color for PET bottle bins. Color preferences had statistically significant correlations with color usage rates (p = 0.009 for combustible waste bin, p = 0.032 for incombustible waste bin, and p = 0.012 for PET bottle bin, respectively). Although insert slot shape had moderate but significant correlations between slot shape preference and usage rate of slot shape (p = 0.002 or less for all recycling bins), the preference was mainly affected by slot largeness for combustible and incombustible waste bins. According to these results, this study concludes that the hypothesis was supported in particular for color preference. On the other hand, on-site experiments showed that the effect of only “impressive” color was too weak to improve waste separation. To encourage waste sorting using well-designed recycling bins, combination of preferred design items is necessary. Intensive usage of well-designed recycling bins for frequent perception opportunities is recommended as an environmental feedback to support sufficient design preference.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X2100235X

Study objective was to test if preferences for bin color and shape of restrictive openings are influenced by the frequency that people are expeosed to them. Implications would seem to support or reject the value of uniform design standard to influence sorting behavior. Pt 1 involved conducting visual survey of 240 waste and recycling bins observed in variety of public spaces in Japan. Qualities of bins (color of body, color around opening, color signage/ label; shape of opening, positioning of opening) classified to ID frequent/ dominant design patterns. Pt 2 involved web survey w/ participants indicating preferences by same set of design preferences.

Found that dominant use of certain color-to-waste stream relationships in the real world influenced people’s association of those colors to those waste stream.

suggest that specific properties of colors somehow influences these color-to-waste stream associations, but they don’t go into depth on this.

The Preferred Bin Colour For Recycling Plastic Bottles: Evidence From A Student's Sample

Kalatzi, Nikellis, Menegaki & Tsagarakis

This is a web survey on the preferred colours for recycling bins. The aim of this study is to find out which bin colour attracts students more by presenting the highest probability of inducing someone to recycle. For this purpose, the study measures preferences of students (from the different engineering departments of Democritus University of Thrace, Greece) for colours of recycling bins among which they have to choose to recycle a used plastic bottle for water. Results reveal that the yellow coloured bin was the most preferred to recycle the plastic bottle, but also that half of the respondents chose the closest bins from the starting point of the application, thus providing evidence for distance effects. Results are useful for authorities that need to instil and induce recycling sustainable behaviours to citizens. Choosing a bin colour or a bin space positioning or both these factors in a manner that increases recycling behaviours is of interest to policy makers.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/inderscience-publishers/the-preferred-bin-colour-for-recycling-plastic-bottles-evidence-from-a-0lv89keDSm?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Bbins

In order to gain a better understanding of the attitudes and behaviour of a campus community toward a university concourse-based recycling scheme, a survey of 1400 students and staff, at Massey University, New Zealand was conducted. A written questionnaire focused on how recycling participation and source separation performance might be improved, and on general attitudes within the university community toward recycling. The recycling scheme was generally well supported, with predominantly positive recycling attitudes and self-reported recycling behaviour indicated for both students and staff. The major suggested improvement to the concourse system was to have better signage in more appropriate places, and there was strong support for extension of the recycling scheme across the wider campus. Significant relationships were found between self-reported recycling behaviour and attitudes toward recycling, self-reported recycling behaviour and campus occupation (student, postgraduate student, academic staff, or general staff) and self-reported recycling behaviour and place of work.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344905001503

An inconvenient recycling program was more of an influence on recycling behavior than “attitudes about the long-term importance of recycling behaviors”

Public Participation in Designing the Recycling Bins to Encourage Recycling

Recycling bin design has been shown to be important in guiding and changing waste management practices. The top-down imposition of recycling scheme components, the various colour signage, the different types of recycling bins per material even in the same city, and in light of the limitations cited in the relevant literature, our contribution examines the citizens’ involvement in designing recycling bins. Analyzing the responses of 757 participants randomly selected, we initially defined design variables, i.e., shape, colour, and type of lid and insert slot. The next step was to design six bins per recyclable and non-recyclable material, which were printed in a card in a random order. In total, 12 cards were evaluated by 430 residents of a typical Greek town without previous experience in recycling; personal interviews were conducted and citizens gave a score on a scale from one to six. The results highlight the public preference for specific lids and insert slots, and a rectangular shape for all the materials apart from glass and compostables for engaging in recycling. In addition, the results suggest that a connection might exist between the colour of the recyclable material and the colour of the bin. When there is no particular bin colour preference for a material such as plastic or packages, various hues of orange, yellow, or purple dominate. A reward phrase or environmental message printed on the bins could encourage recycling.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/4/1240/htm

University of Georgia

Tested 3 sign conditions: Informational (lists of acceptable & non-acceptable materials) v. product transformation (Showing how items collected for recycling get turned into new items) v. motivational (in-group, normative- "Real Dawgs Recycle") messaging. Baseline waste audit done of all indoor centralized bins in three academic buildings (100% of material generated in trash and recycling streams over a 24 hour period). All bins in each building were subsequently outfitted w/ new sign frames that rise above the top of bins. Each sign condition was placed with all stations within one of the three buildings. Follow up audits one month later measure changes in the composition of the trash and recycling bins. A second follow up set of audits is planned for spring 2020 to gauge long term impact.

All three signage conditions showed marked improvements in contamination and correct recycling over baseline

Sign frames placed above bins (averaged for all three sign conditions) decreased contamination by 13.83% increased amount of recyclable items going into the recycling bin 18.31%

MIT; U of the Negev; Georgetown U

Environmental communications often contain assertive commands, even though research in consumer behavior,psycholinguistics, and communications has repeatedly shown that gentler phrasing is more effective when seekingconsumer compliance. This article shows that the persuasiveness of assertive language depends on the perceivedimportance of the issue at hand: Recipients respond better to pushy requests in domains that they view asimportant, but they need more suggestive appeals when they lack initial conviction. The authors examine thiseffect in three laboratory studies and one field experiment using Google AdWords. Their findings refer to variousenvironmental contexts (i.e., economizing water, recycling plastic containers, reducing air and sea pollution). Thekey implication of these findings is that issue importance needs to be carefully assessed (or affected) before thelanguage of effective environmental campaigns can be selected.

http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/fom/Documents/ResearchAbstracts/ResearchAbsts/ReschAmirGr%20should%20assertive%20.pdf

Tested interventions for multi-family

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Issues and Obstacles to Recycling in Ontario’s Multi Residential Buildings

This study examines the obstacles, barriers and opportunities to household recycling in multi residential buildings in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, this study examines how increasing levels of recycling convenience and recycling awareness affect household recycling behavior and building recycling rates. This study was divided into three phases: Phase 1 was designed to assess the perceived barriers to recycling and household participation in source separation programs among 12 multi residential households in the Greater Toronto Area. Phase 2 involved retrofitting each building with floor level recycling chutes (accompanied by a comprehensive recycling promotion and education campaign) and measure how, if at all, recycling rates changed. Phase 3 of the study examined how an alternative promotion and education strategy (that involved putting a recycling bin in building lobbies) affected household recycling awareness and overall recycling rates. Using waste audit data collected over a 9 month period and semi structured surveys in each of the 12 buildings included in the study, it was found that the greatest increase in recycling rates were observed after putting a recycling cart/bin the building lobby entrance. The installation of recycling chutes alone did not increase household recycling awareness or participation in any meaningful way. This finding contravenes previous investigations into multi residential recycling, which found that convenience was the primary determinant to multi residential recycling participation. There is evidence to suggest that there is a complimentary effect between retrofitting units with recycling chutes and placing a Blue Bin in the lobby entrance—while the former provides the enabling conditions to make recycling easier for households, the latter provides the necessary reminder to residents to get them thinking about recycling initiatives in their buildings.

Resources Conservation and Recycling 108: 1–9.

Hygiene of bins

Pro-environmental activities, such as waste sorting, are considered inconveniencing; the higher the inconvenience, the more difficult it becomes to encourage active public participation. This study defines waste sorting behavior considering certain attributes and estimates the inconvenience costs associated with each attribute. The definition also considers how and when waste is disposed of as well as the hygiene of a disposal spot. We apply a conjoint analysis for data collection and latent class logit model to calculate the inconvenience costs. The model incorporates consumers' heterogeneity as a finite number of homogenous groups. The results show that the inconvenience cost for the hygiene of the disposal spot is generally higher than that of sorting itself; this tendency is strongest among young women. Moreover, older people report lower inconvenience costs than do younger ones. Further, some groups prefer manual sorting to an automated sorting service for food waste. Our findings offer policy implications considering such inconvenience costs.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316781437_Inconvenience_cost_of_waste_disposal_behavior_in_South_Korea

The Influence Of Signage And Proximity Of Recycling Bins On The Volume Of Recycling Materials Generated At A Hotel

Tested the impact of 1) signage with a moral appeal and 2) convenient placement of recycling bin in a hotel setting. Measuring the amount of recyclables collected under three conditions, the placement of a personal recycling bin inside guest rooms along with a sign performed best, followed by placement of the personal bin without the signage, and the lowest performing with only a centralized bin provided in the hallway next to the elevator.

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.569.4578&rep=rep1&type=pdf

The effects of color preference and noticeability of trash bins on waste collection performance and waste-sorting behaviors.

The improvement of waste separation is of great interest in mitigating problems related to municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Trash bins are commonly used for waste separation at source. Thus, appropriate trash bin designs are promising to improve waste collection and separation performance. This study investigated the effect of trash bin design on waste collection and waste-sorting behaviors in Thailand, focusing on color preference, setting location, and perceived ease in finding a trash bin (noticeability). Trash bins to separately collect compostable waste, recyclable waste, and PET bottles were tested. Perceived preferences for colors and noticeability were evaluated using pairwise comparison by survey questionnaires with a sample size of 889 respondents. Waste collection experiments were conducted to reveal waste collection, capture, contamination, and effective capture rates in three locations for 15 weeks. The results were analyzed via statistical methods. They suggested that trash bins with the least preferred colors had the highest waste separation efficiencies. On the other hand, color preference towards trash bins had no significant impact on waste collection. In addition, lower color preference contributed to lower noticeability of trash bins. The effective capture rate had a significantly negative correlation with noticeability. Highlighting the location of less noticeable trash bins might have helped participants practice correct waste disposal. In conclusion, location, unit color, and noticeability of trash bins can affect waste collection and separation performance. Increasing human awareness through appropriate design and setting of trash bins might enable more efficient collection of segregated wastes.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X20306991

Position of opening

The effects of compost bin design on design preference, waste collection performance, and waste segregation behaviors for public participation

Municipal solid waste (MSW) composting is one of the most effective strategies for MSW management but detrimental litter such as plastic and glass debris must be discarded elsewhere. Well-segregated wastes are necessary in this context. A compost bin is a waste collection tool for source separation. To date, the deployment of compost bins for source separation has received scant investigation. This study investigated the effects of compost bin design in terms of user design preferences, waste collection and sorting execution, and segregation behavior. The study comprised a survey and an on-site experiment. Design preferences of nine designed compost bins were evaluated by surveying 400 respondents using the pairwise comparison method. It was revealed that design preference was determined by bin shape and slot position. On-site experiments were conducted to establish collection rate, contamination rate, capture rate, and effective capture rate under different conditions. Under the experimental conditions, better segregation rates were observed in comparison with the control condition. The contamination rate was reduced by 55.9%. The capture rate and the effective capture rate were increased by 8.90%, and 53.4%, respectively. The significant effects of design preferences, physical designs, visual prompts, and past behavior were identified via statistical methods. Source-separated waste collection can be improved through preferred compost bin adoption, enhanced design, appropriate visual prompts, and experience in waste segregation. Therefore, the findings of this study will help to generate effective source-separated collection and allow compost bins to be placed in public areas for integrated and sustainable waste management.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X22001027

Involved surveys and field studies, testing impact of: 1) different bin shapes (cylinder, square, and
bullet designs); 2) position of opening slot (top, front, and slanted); 3) placement of bins within an academic building

The effects of setting conditions of trash bins on waste collection performance and waste separation behaviors; distance from walking path, separated setting, and arrangements

Leeabai, Suzuki, Jiang, Dilixiati & Takahashi

This study investigated the effects of setting conditions of trash bins on waste collection, separation efficiency, and incorrect disposal. Tested trash bins are for combustible wastes, PET bottles, cans, and glass bottles. Monitoring results were analyzed by statistical tests to distinguish real effects and experimental errors. The distance to trash bins along walking path gave no significant effects on waste collection and the others. On the other hand, when the distance was out of walking path, its increase significantly decreased waste collection of combustible wastes. In contrast, the distance gave no significant effect on separation efficiency and foreign waste percentage. It was suggested that threshold distance that affects waste disposal behaviors is between 8 and 410 m. When trash bins were set separately, it affected the motivation of waste separations. Separated setting of combustible waste and PET bottle trash bins in the opposite side of the original position significantly decreased separation efficiencies of these wastes. Because no significant effect was found on separation efficiency of other wastes whose trash bins were set in the original position, additional 3 m distance to the opposite side might exceed the threshold distance and have caused low separation efficiencies. The preference of trash bin arrangement gave no significant effect on waste collection and the others excluding separation efficiency of can. These results suggest that appropriate location of trash bins can improve waste collection and waste separation. It might be useful for waste management in public areas with high population density like shopping mall.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956053X19303472?via%3Dihub

When recycling bins were put out of walking path, longer distance to recycling bins significantly decreased waste collection but gave no impact on waste separation efficiency

Watching People Throw Out Garbage : Food service waste management in Squamish

Waste management research primarily focuses on either waste composition analysis through modeling or auditing, or consumer attitudes and intentions about recycling practices. However, no previous research has investigated disposal choices and behaviours as they occur to understand waste management practices. To address this gap, customer disposal choices and behaviour were observed at 29 food service institutions. First, the type of item and disposal stream were recorded, and choices were assigned a binary variable: “correct” if the item matched the stream, and “incorrect” if it was a contaminant. Next, 6 variables assessing contamination levels, customer disposal behaviours, and the types of items disposed were computed from these results. Then, characteristics of the food service institution and its waste system were modeled with these variables using logistic regression to determine what aspects of a food service waste system impact contamination and disposal behaviours. The key institutional characteristics predicting contamination and behaviour were the service type provided at the institution’s waste station, and the quality of signs. An important behaviour that varied at different institutions were “grouped” disposals, where customers disposed of a many types of waste items in a single disposal choice. Additional data for unique institutions is also reported. The findings suggest that effective signage is important for source-separation waste disposal, and that waste systems must be designed to suit the institution’s services. The methodology used in this study is widely applicable. Moreover, it is more cost-effective than a comprehensive waste audit and gathers unique behavioural information to inform waste system design at any institution.

http://questu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Leigh_Watching-people-throw-out-garbage.pdf

Distance is a barrier to recycling – or is it? Surprises from a clean test

Li, Zhang, Nouvellet, Okoro, Xiao, Harder

The distance of recycling bins from households is often considered important by practitioners, but published evidence for this uses only indirect and self-reported data. This study aims to provide such evidence by obtaining a clean test using measured distances in a walled community with 1200 households with the same building types, local governance, recycling and waste arrangements. The number of deposits each month of food waste for recycling at a designated site are logged via smart-cards allocated per household. The number of days per month that each household deposits showed a highly significant - but small - negative correlation with distance of the bin: fewer householders participate if further away, accounting for 3% of the variation. Surprisingly, there is no variation with distance among with the first in terms of cost/benefit concepts assumed by government planners, nor with the static theories of behaviour currently used in waste management research. We recommend that recycling practitioners note the smallness of the contribution of distance to recycling performance, and not overrate it. And we recommend that researchers make better use of non-static models (which model different stages towards behaviour change), which our second result appears to call for.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X20301859

Successful long-term programs for urban residential food waste sorting are very rare, despite the established urgent need for them in cities for waste reduction, pollution reduction and circular resource economy reasons. This study meets recent calls to bridge policy makers and academics, and calls for more thorough analysis of operational work in terms of behavioral determinants, to move the fields on. It takes a key operational element of a recently reported successful food waste sorting program—manning of the new bins by volunteers—and considers the behavioral determinants involved in order to design a more scalable and cheaper alternative—the use of brightly colored covers with flower designs on three sides of the bin. The two interventions were tested in a medium-scale, real-life experimental set-up that showed that they had statistically similar results: high effective capture rates of 32%–34%, with low contamination rates. The success, low cost and simple implementation of the latter suggests it should be considered for large-scale use. Candidate behavioral determinants are prompts, emotion and knowledge for the yellow bin intervention, and for the volunteer intervention they are additionally social influence, modeling, role clarification, and moderators of messenger type and interpersonal or tailored messaging.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/5/458

Study in Chinese residential setting focused on organics recovery. Tested impact of 1) stationing volunteers next to bin, and 2) using "bright, colorful and pleasant design" on the sides of bins to prompt positive emotional response. Results in both situations "produced good results"

Internal and External Factors’ Influence on Recycling: Insights From a Laboratory Experiment With Observed Behavior

Linder, Rosenthal, Sorthqvist & Barthel

Internal psychological factors, such as intentions and personal norms, are central predictors of pro-environmental behavior in many theoretical models, whereas the influence from external factors such as the physical environment is seldom considered. Even rarer is studying how internal factors interact with the physical context in which decisions take place. In the current study, we addressed the relative influence and interaction of psychological and environmental factors on pro-environmental behavior. A laboratory experiment presented participants (N = 399) with a choice to dispatch a used plastic cup in a recycling or general waste bin after participating in a staged “yogurt taste test.” Results showed how the spatial positioning of bins explained more than half of the variance in recycling behavior whilst self-reported recycling intentions were not related to which bin they used. Rinsing cups (to reduce contamination) before recycling, on the other hand, was related to both behavioral intention and external factors. These results show that even seemingly small differences in a choice context can influence how well internal psychological factors predict behavior and how aspects of the physical environment can assist the alignment of behavior and intentions, as well as steering behavior regardless of motivation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8340013/

Research on Environmentally-friendly Trash Bin Sorting Design Based on Human Factors Experiment

The current classified trash bins are generally divided into four categories, which are respectively used for recyclables, hazardous waste, other garbage and kitchen waste. However, they are not classified in this way in every place and the classified trash bins in public places such as roads, tourist attractions, and parks are divided into two categories, that is, trash bins for recyclables and non-recyclables. There are three types of classifications in schools and communities, which are recyclables, non-recyclables, and hazardous waste. Some new types of classified trash bins are set up in some places, with high-tech technologies and innovated materials applied to them.

https://www.clausiuspress.com/assets/default/article/2018/09/23/article_1537710184.pdf

Increasing Recycling in Academic Buildings: A Systematic Replication

Appalachian State University

We placed recycling receptacles in two locations in academic buildings and studied recycling behavior within an ABA multiple baseline design. During baseline, recycling receptacles were placed in a central location. During the intervention, receptacles were moved into classrooms where beverages were primarily consumed. Baseline conditionswere then reinstated. The percentage of cans recycled daily increased during intervention and returned to near-baseline levels during withdrawal. The percentage of cans discardeddaily in the trash decreased during the intervention and increased to near-baseline levelsduring withdrawal. Implications of this study include making recycling more convenientin institutional settings.

https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Ludwig_Timothy_1998_Increasing_Recycling_in_Academic_Buildings.pdf

Using visitor observations to predict proper waste disposal: A case study from three US national parks

As protected land systems grow and develop in countries across the world, sustainability concerns arise alongside this growth. Specifically, increasing visitation to the US National Park System has resulted in new managerial concerns, one being the large amounts of waste produced by these visitors and how this waste is being disposed of. In response to this growing issue, a partnership between industry, non-profits, and the National Park Service, called the Zero Landfill Initiative (ZLI), is working to reduce waste sent to landfills from US national park sites by having visitors sort their waste and recyclable material for proper disposal. To evaluate the efficacy of this outreach campaign and further develop knowledge on factors influencing waste sorting behavior, this study aimed to use a novel observational approach to learn about visitor waste disposal in three US national parks. Results showed that individuals who meaningfully engaged with signage, did not appear confused, and who had children in their group were more likely to dispose of waste properly. The future research and managerial implications of these findings are then discussed to encourage proper waste disposal and sorting in these US national parks as well as in more generalized contexts.

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2666049020300013?token=C0680359FB1C28678CB6702576B9A68BCC6CBBF1DA66D41696669FD3C2B0F4A621C59D00DDB03D42DCB7914F73BC4C6C&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20220129203143

Observed people using waste & recycling bins to track relationship between demographics, other charaecteristics of individual to actual sorting behavior

"only 31.2% of observed visitors interacted meaningfully with waste infrastructure signage"

"Individuals who interacted with the waste infrastructure signage were 1.25 times more likely to dispose of waste properly"

"individuals who had children were 1.51 times more likely to dispose of their waste properly"

Nudging waste diversion at Western State Colorado University: application of behavioral insights

This paper aims to test a nudge, or intervention, designed through behavioral insights at a university campus to discover cost-effective means for increasing recycling participation and methods for estimating waste removal cost savings. Design/methodology/approach: A series of studies were conducted demonstrating the effectiveness of behaviorally based recycling interventions. Study locations included an academic building, a performing arts/studio arts building, a sports complex and a campus library. All locations already had robust and visible recycling programs in operation. Following an observation period, modifications were made to the locations of waste and recycling containers. Waste auditing procedures were used to quantify existing waste diversion rates, and changes to those rates following changes in choice architecture. Findings: Waste diversion rates improved and significant reductions in the proportion of recyclable materials in the trash were observed at all four study locations. Results indicate that the nudge of changing choice architecture can enhance recycling programs that are already recognized as successful. This paper also explains methods for estimating waste removal, which are important as it enables calculations of cost savings from such interventions. Finally, targeting plastic bottles to increase return on investment is recommended. Practical implications: Other colleges and universities can apply these methods to improve existing recycling programs and realize cost savings. Originality value: This is the first study to investigate the use of a nudge on waste management issues on a university campus. An easy-to-replicate method, which allows measuring realized cost savings, is explained.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322341370_Nudging_waste_diversion_at_Western_State_Colorado_University_Application_of_behavioral_insights

Non-recycling

What makes icons appealing? The role of processing fluency in predicting icon appeal in different task contexts

Although icons appear on almost all interfaces, there is a paucity of research examining the determinants of icon appeal. The experiments reported here examined the icon characteristics determining appeal and the extent to which processing fluency – the subjective ease with which individuals process information – was used as a heuristic to guide appeal evaluations. Participants searched for, and identified, icons in displays. The initial appeal of icons was held constant while ease of processing was manipulated by systematically varying the complexity and familiarity of the icons presented and the type of task participants were asked to carry out. Processing fluency reliably influenced users' appeal ratings and appeared to be based on users' unconscious awareness of the ease with which they carried out experimental tasks.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295254571_What_makes_icons_appealing_The_role_of_processing_fluency_in_predicting_icon_appeal_in_different_task_contexts

Signage as a tool for behavioral change: Direct and indirect routes to understanding the meaning of a sign

Signs, prompts, and symbols are a common means to change behavior in our society. Understanding the psychological mechanisms by which signage influences behavior is a critical first step to achieve the desired outcome. In the current research, we propose a theoretical model of sign-to-behavior process. The model suggests that when one encounters a sign, it is encoded to construct an action representation (comprehension process), which is then acted on unless its enactment is inhibited (decision process). We test the implications of the model in two studies. In support of our hypothesis, for unfamiliar signs, clarity of purpose predicts perceived effectiveness of a sign; however, for familiar signs, clarity of purpose does not matter. Insights gained from the studies will help to design effective signs. Practical implications of the model are discussed, and future research directions are outlined.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319387914_Signage_as_a_tool_for_behavioral_change_Direct_and_indirect_routes_to_understanding_the_meaning_of_a_sign

Not specific to recycling

Boston U; Utah State

Uncovering inexpensive, simple techniques to encourage students to act in a pro-environmental manner is of critical importance. Through a four-week field study at a large, environmentally focused elementary school, it was found that placing negatively valenced emoticons (i.e., red frowny faces) on trash cans increased the proportion of recycled material from 22% to 44%. Subsequently, through a controlled laboratory study at a recognized “green” university, it was found that the negatively valenced emoticon increased the percentage of students who recycled their provided paper from 46% to 62%. Therefore, using emoticons as a complement to existing environmental education may be an easily implementable technique to positively change the recycling behavior of both older and younger students.

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/156cd7_a988222a32e448a692fb473e40f8de85.pdf

Behavioral economics of waste management: Identifying factors that influence personal waste sorting practices

Menzer, Parnell-Wolfe, O’Carroll, & Perkins

University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California system-wide goal of Zero Waste by 2020 continues to both encourage and challenge campuses to increase their waste diversion practices. While the infrastructure necessary for improving waste management practices has been introduced at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), waste audits have revealed that poor personal waste sorting practices are a limiting factor in the overall effectiveness of waste programs, and have the ability to negate many benefits of the structural improvements. The Refuse & Recycling Research Center at UCSB has focused on analyzing individuals’ interactions with their waste in order to improve better personal waste management practices. Over 1,300 individuals were observed and data on their specific interactions with their waste materials, receptacles, and signage were recorded. After identifying common trends, it was determined that the initial signage created confusion and was inhibiting individuals from correctly sorting their waste. New signage was developed and introduced, which ultimately resulted in an overall 10% increase in the waste diversion rate in total. While there are additional strategies that can be applied, the implementation of the new signage prompted a behavioral change in how individuals disposed of their waste

https://businessdocbox.com/Green_Solutions/79812410-Behavioral-economics-of-waste-management-identifying-factors-that-influence-personal-waste-sorting-practices.html

Tested impact of redesigned signage in three dining locations with field observations (demographics, focused/ not focused as approach bin) and composition studies.

Redesigned signage that reduced number of photos and items listed, along w/ increased font size led to improvement in trash (modest) and organics (significant)sorting, while recycling sorting accuracy got worse.

Concludes that redesign important, but signage alone not enough to achieve high sorting accuracy given many people don't look at sign. General education about acceptbaility of items important to prime sorting expectations

Personal waste management in higher education; A case study illustrating the importance of a fourth bottom line

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a quadruple bottom line approach for higher education leaders who must decide whether to accept sustainability initiatives that do have not have a business case. The authors describe a personal waste management program at a major university to illustrate how a quadruple bottom line framework may impact decisions to adopt a sustainability practice in higher education. The authors also demonstrate how opportunity costs can be applied to better understand the true costs of such waste management programs. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory research uses a case study approach with a unique accounting method to determine the costs of a personal waste management system. System costs are calculated for the entire university and for sample units within the university. Findings – University leaders chose to continue the new waste management program in light of evidence showing higher than anticipated costs. The authors illustrate how this decision was driven by consideration of a fourth bottom line, that of the educational value of the sustainability initiative. It is discussed whether proposed sustainability initiatives such as these should be evaluated using a traditional triple bottom line framework, or, in the case of higher education, if equal consideration should also be given to factors related to the educational mission of the institution. Originality/value – The authors develop a quadruple bottom line framework to explain the frequent implementation of economically costly sustainability programs in higher education contexts. This paper also reviews the rise of “personal waste management” programs at higher education institutions, demonstrates how the value of employee time can and should be considered as a cost of a comprehensive campus sustainability program (i.e. recycling and composting) and illustrates a novel means for using opportunity costs to determine those costs.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-03-2018-0054/full/html

The Effect of Bin Proximity and Visual Prompts On Recycling In a University Building

University of Memphis

Institutions such as universities are responsible for a significant amount of recyclable material entering landfills. This problem could be addressed in part by increasing the percentage of waste recycled by consumers on campuses. Building on previous research, we evaluated the effects of bin proximity and visual prompts on rates of recycling within a university building. The total weight of recyclable materials (aluminum, plastic, and paper) placed into the building’s garbage and recycling bins was measured each day, and a reversal design was employed in which the environmental arrangement of the recycling bins was systematically manipulated. Both interventions produced a decrease in the amount of recyclable material being thrown in the trash cans, with visual prompts plus bin proximity being slightly more effective than bin proximity alone. However, neither intervention produced large increases in recycling. Interpretations of these findings and suggestions for future researchers are discussed.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/the-effects-of-bin-proximity-and-visual-prompts-on-recycling-in-a-1qz1SPuI0l?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Bbins

Similar to Brothers (1994), Ludwig (1998) and O'Connor (2010), looked at impact of adding bins to classrooms, as well as the impact of informational signage as a prompt.

Adding recycling bins inside classrooms led to a modest increase in recycling

Adding signage may have influenced modest improvement in recycling

Design for Behavior Change: The Role of Product Visual Aesthetics in Promoting Sustainable Behavior

University of Michigan

This dissertation tested the hypothesis that products can be designed in a principled way to induce users to modify their behavior; in particular, it explored how products make people be more environmentally responsible. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, we reviewed literature from psychology, human computer interaction, social marketing, and product design to identify a gap in our knowledge, formulate research questions and select paradigms to use in behavioral testing. Empirical studies were conducted in two parts. Part I consisted of one retrospective study and two case studies based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. The studies showed that the visual properties of a product influence how it is used and can prompt users to change their behavior to be more environmentally friendly. In the recycling case study (Study 1), more people recycled in a visually salient recycling bin. In the napkin consumption case study (Study 3), patrons of a coffee shop consumed fewer napkins when the napkin dispenser was designed to elicit the metaphor that compared the use of napkins with consuming a tree (55% reduction in use), versus using the original standard dispenser. A retrospective study (Study 2) identified seven persuasive heuristics to help designers use metaphors that promote sustainable behavior. Part II validated these Persuasive Metaphors Heuristics by studying how designers use them, and how they influence design outcomes in terms of persuasiveness, effectiveness, and uniqueness of the concepts. The results indicated that the heuristics increased the persuasiveness of the design concepts. Overall, the dissertation showed that if the designer can identify the right information-processing route (based on behavior, user, and context) and implement the Persuasive Metaphors Heuristics, then the visual appearance of a product can successfully cue desirable behavioral responses. Also, Part II suggested that the heuristics can be taught to novice designers as a tool to narrow down the solution space toward designs with persuasive intent. This research pursued an evidence-based persuasive approach to understand the link between perceived formal and meaningful properties of design, how users process these properties, and how these product properties influence decision-making and consequent behavioral responses.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258699071_Design_for_Behavior_Change_The_Role_of_Product_Visual_Aesthetics_in_Promoting_Sustainable_Behavior

Ph.D dissertation. Incorporates & expands on bin color research from Montazeri, et al 2012. Additionally focuses on other aspect of design to influence behavior - use of metaphors with persuasive message to influence behavior w/ napkin consumption.

Color distinction

Color, cognition, and recycling: How the design of everyday objects prompt behavior change

Montazeri, Gonzalez, Yoon, and Papalambros

University of Michigan

In this paper we studied the role of color in triggering recycling behavior. According to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion we hypothesized that the visual salience of recycling bins encourages recycling behavior, presumably through a peripheral route and would increase the probability that the recycling bin will be seen and used. In a behavioral lab setting we compared the recycling behavior of subjects between two conditions of grey and green recycling bin. We found that color can affect the salience of an object and consequently trigger the associated desired behavior.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6d8f/de05d49bd8fb782841063983c76483e1f701.pdf?_ga=2.126290634.610286974.1578513432-562311437.1570715971

Salience of differently colored bins. Initial pilot survey: prompted computer based participants with image of one of four randomly assigned conditions showing recycling bins of different colors in a room. Afterward asked to recall whether they saw a recycling bin or not in photo. // Follow up study asked participants in lab situation to discard scrap paper with choice of trash recycling bin. Some were presented with grey trash and grey recycling bin, others with grey trash and green recycling.

Green bins most widely remembered by survey participants, followed by blue.

In follow up lab study, 88% of participants correctly recycled w/ green recycling bin condition vs 52% for grey recycling bin condition.

Color functions as an peripheral (indirect) perusuasion technique as opposed to direct appeal. In essence, it is a shortcut to influence behavior without demanding cognitive attention. Short version: Color distinction can be more efficient to guide actions of distracted people.

Results seem to imply the effect of color on recycling behavior was a function of visual contrast between recycling and trash regardless of colors involved, but couldn't rule out that appeal or other emotional reaction of specific colors didn't have a role.

Optimizing dumpster capacity- service

Planning Solid waste Collection with Robust Optimization: Location-Allocation, Receptacle Type, and Service Frequency

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/hindawi-publishing-corporation/planning-solid-waste-collection-with-robust-optimization-location-Bi8PrjzXOg?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Dwaste%2Breceptacles

Effects of number and location of bins on plastic recycling at a university

University of Houston - Clear Lake

The proportion of plastic bottles that consumers placed in appropriate recycling receptacles rather than trash bins was examined across 3 buildings on a university campus. We extended previous research on interventions to increase recycling by controlling the number of recycling receptacles across conditions and by examining receptacle location without the use of posted signs. Manipulating the appearance or number of recycling bins in common areas did not increase recycling. Consumers recycled substantially more plastic bottles when the recycling bins were located in classrooms.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2998261/

Similar to Brothers (1994), Ludwig (1998) and Miller (2016), tested impact of providing recycling bins in classrooms on recycling participation. Also looked at impact of 1) replacing generic, gray bins similar to trash with color distinguished recycling bins and 2) simply adding more bins outside classrooms. Did not address contamination.

Adding recycling bins inside classrooms that previously only had trash bins resulted in doubling overall number of plastic bottles recycled.

Replacing generic grey recycling bins at existing lhallway locations w/ new color coordinated bin had no significant impact.

Adding additional recycling bins outside classrooms had no significant impact.

In order to increase waste recycling, many studies have been conducted to understand factors that may influence waste recycling behaviour. However, these studies have focused on household contexts rather than other waste generation contexts. As a result, this paper seeks to provide a detailed analysis of previous studies on workplace waste recycling behaviour. Drawing from different databases, 51 relevant studies on workplace waste recycling attitudes and behaviour were meta-analysed. Findings showed that the highest percentage of the existing studies were conducted in the USA, focused on a single waste stream, were often conducted within academic contexts, adopted (or modified) an existing theoretical framework and were based on questionnaires which elicited self-reported behaviour. Some of the factors identified include demographics, situational variables, past behaviour, incentives, prompts and/or information, attitudes and identity. The findings highlighted the scale of challenges confronting waste management practitioners in understanding the factors that may affect waste recycling behaviour due to the complexity and heterogeneity of human behaviours. However, the results from the reviewed studies in this research suggest that a combination of different factors may be required to influence workplace waste recycling behaviour. This may provide effective incentives to develop a framework that may assist waste management stakeholders when addressing workplace waste management.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/6/7175

Social Preferences and Environmental Behavior: A Comparison of Self-Reported and Observed Behaviors

Faced with the depletion of natural resources and climate change, individuals making the choice to behave in a more environmentally conscious way is increasingly necessary. Rational choice theory suggests that individuals will only behave in pro-environmental ways if they perceive those actions to align with their own self-interests. Others, however, have highlighted instances where individuals act pro-socially or altruistically, deviating from their own self-interests for the benefit of others. The present study examines whether individuals’ social preferences are associated with engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. Specifically, drawing on a methodology from behavioral economics, we use dictator and ultimatum game behavior to measure social preferences, and we then evaluate whether heterogeneity in social preferences is associated with self-reported pro-environmental behaviors and observed recycling behavior. The results indicate that individual differences in social preferences have a modest association with self-reported pro-environmental behaviors but no association with observed recycling behavior. Self-reported pro-environmental behavior was not associated with observed recycling behavior. We also find that recycling bin proximity to classroom doors increased participation in recycling. This finding demonstrates that individuals are receptive to the proximate opportunity to recycle. This suggests increasing the ease with which people can engage in pro-environmental behaviors, such as recycling, will promote participation in these practices. Overall, our research indicates that social preferences do not seem to drive individuals to act in environmentally friendly ways. This work also provides new opportunities for future research to integrate economic games into the study of pro-environmental behaviors.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6023/htm

A distance of only 1 meter (3.2 ft) between trash and recycling receptacles had a measurable impact on sorting behavior in a classroom setting

Evaluation of Signage and Increased Recycling Rates: A Residential Hall Case Study

This case study looks at the effect of signage on recycling rates within one residential hall on Main Campus, Johnson and Hardwick Hall. Data was collected on the weights of trash and recyclables generated using Hardwick as a control building and Johnson as a variable building. The results were examined to see if signage had any measurable impact on recycling rates. This report also recommends future studies and strategies aimed at making the existing recycling program more successful.

https://sustainability.temple.edu/sites/sustainability/files/uploads/documents/J%26H%20Waste%20Audit_Spring2015.pdf

Tested ability of informational and motivational flyers / signage in campus residence halls to overcome bin placement that favors trash. Trash bins were conveniently places in multiple locations around each floor, but students were required to carry recyclables to a single location on each floor.

Trash Receptacle Placement: Philadelphia Behavioral Science Research Protocol

Reeck, Hopkins, Bhanot, Espito, Chainani

From August 2017 to May 2018, the City’s GovLabPHL team worked in partnership with the Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet and researchers from local academic institutions to test the effect of various public waste receptacle quantities on the amount of litter and the number of hours staff spend picking up trash. Specifically, this experiment examined how increasing or decreasing the number of public trash receptacles in an area impacts trash collected from within remaining receptacles, trash collected as litter, staff hours spent picking up litter, and the litter index for the area. The study involved trash receptacles at four parks and four commercial corridors. Each location was planned to receive a manipulation that decreased their number of trash receptacles, a manipulation that increased their number of receptacles, and two on-treatment periods that returned the study location to its original number of trash receptacles. Baseline data were collected previous to the first manipulation, and survey data, trash weight measurements, and the litter index provided metrics to evaluate the outcome. During the experimental period, two commercial corridors were unable to complete the experiment, and therefore data was unavailable or incomplete for these locations. The results showed that the effect of differing the number of receptacles on trash was varied and inconclusive. The study saw both decreases and increases in the amount of trash collected in locations where trash receptacles were increased and decreased. The results did show that when trash receptacles decreased, trash collected as litter increased and staff time spent on collecting litter also increased. Data on observed litter and via the litter index revealed mixed results on whether or not increased number of receptacles alters the amount of litter in an area.

https://www.phila.gov/media/20210312102943/ZWI-trash-receptacle-placement-study-2017.pdf

Reduction in the number of trash receptacles in commercial street cooridor and park locations resulted in significantly more litter and additional staff cleaning hours . However, additional receptacles beyond the baseline number did not show a clear relationship to decreased litter.

Newspaper Recycling Behavior: The Effects of Prompting & Proximity of Containers

Presence of informational signage impacted recycling

Recycling or Trash Bin? Modeling Consumers' Recycling Behavior in a Field Study

What affects people’s behavior when they dispose items? The distance hypothesis predicts that the number of misplaced items is a function of the distance of an appropriate bin. We categorized and mapped bins at 140 locations on the campus of a major research university in the Midwest and calculated the distances between adjacent bins. The distance hypothesis predicts that users dispose more recyclables in single, isolated trash bins than in trash bins that are paired with recycling bins. Likewise, it is expected that more trash items can be found in isolated compared to paired recycling bins. We conducted a field study that involved systematic comparisons of matched locations and focused on behavioral data that were obtained through systematic audits of trash and recycling bins. The study provided partial support for the distance hypothesis, which was supported for certain items. The role of item difficulty and weather conditions will be discussed.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349347714_Overcoming_Barriers_to_Recycling_The_Role_of_Prior_Knowledge_and_Social_Norms_Purdue_Recycling_Project_PURE

Effects of bin proximity and informational prompts on recycling and contamination

This between-subjects experiment manipulated the proximity of a waste bin relative to a recycling bin and the presence of information about why and how to rinse recyclables. After completing a yogurt taste test, 272 undergraduate students disposed of their plastic tasting cups in either a waste bin or a recycling bin. Binary logistic regression showed use of the recycling bin roughly tripled when the waste bin was made less convenient by moving it away from the tasting area (p < .001, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.54). Univariate ANOVA showed the contamination level of recycled items was lower when an informational prompt indicated how clean recyclables need to be (p < .001, η2p = 0.08), but not when it indicated why rinsing is important. These findings showcase how manipulating the physical environment can be a powerful tool to steer behavior and how tailored information can complement physical changes to promote proenvironmental actions.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921000379

Lab study concerned with how people responded to messaging above bins about rinsing yogurt containers before recycling, and 2)any influence the messages might have people tossing items in trash when trash bin moved 3 meters out of way.

Waste bins location problem: A review of recent advances in the storage stage of the Municipal Solid Waste reverse logistic chain

Municipal Solid Waste systems have important economic, social, and environmental impacts for society. Within the diverse stages of the Municipal Solid Waste reverse logistic chain, the waste bin location problem consists in properly locating bins in the corresponding urban area to store waste produced by the citizens. This stage has a large impact in the overall efficiency of the whole system. Thus, several researchers have addressed the location problem considering different optimization criteria and approaches. This article presents a comprehensive review of recent advances on the Waste Bins Location Problem, with the main goal of serving as a reference point for decision-makers in this area. The main findings indicate that several optimization criteria and resolution approaches have been applied, but few proposals have simultaneously optimized bins location and waste collection, or considered uncertainty of the model parameters and integrated approaches.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2202.13754.pdf

Campus Recycling Behavior and Action at Colorado Mountain College

Colorado Mountain College

Description from conference poster: Presents findings from phase one of a multi-phase study on recycling behavior at Colorado Mountain College. Findings are based on surveys of trash and recycling bin contents completed in spring 2017 and on surveys on recycling behavior administered to students. The bin content study includes four phases: 1) baseline survey of waste disposal as evidenced by contents of trash and recycling bins placed in their unaltered configuration in public areas; 2) survey of bin contents after removal of all unlabeled trash bins (leaving only bins labeled explicitly as 'trash' and 'recycling'); 3) survey of bin contents with only labeled containers available and an added sign near recycling bins detailing items that are recyclable (sign provided by recycling company); and 4) survey of bin contents with only labeled bins in place and the replacement of the recycling company sign with a sign designed by the researchers based on bin survey findings to date and literature on sign design and effectiveness. Student surveys include multiple choice and open answer questions designed to generate data on student knowledge about campus recycling and factors driving their level of participation in the recycling system. Responses to multiple choice questions will be analyzed quantitatively. Responses to open ended questions will be analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Findings will inform an educational intervention with new and continuing students in fall 2017.

Studied a number of things: removing bins, using shadow boxes.

Color Inference In Visual Communication: The Meaning of Colors In Recycling

University of Wisconsin- Madison

People interpret abstract meanings from colors, which makes color a useful perceptual feature for visual communication. This process is complicated, however, because there is seldom a one-to-one correspondence between colors and meanings. One color can be associated with many different concepts (one-to-many mapping) and many colors can be associated with the same concept (many-to-one mapping). We propose that to interpret color-coding systems, people perform assignment inference to determine how colors map onto concepts. We studied assignment inference in the domain of recycling. Participants saw images of colored but unlabeled bins and were asked to indicate which bins they would use to discard different kinds of recyclables and trash. In Experiment 1, we tested two hypotheses for how people perform assignment inference. The local assignment hypothesis predicts that people simply match objects with their most strongly associated color. The global assignment hypothesis predicts that people also account for the association strengths between all other objects and colors within the scope of the color-coding system. Participants discarded objects in bins that optimized the color-object associations of the entire set, which is consistent with the global assignment hypothesis. This sometimes resulted in discarding objects in bins whose colors were weakly associated with the object, even when there was a stronger associated option available. In Experiment 2, we tested different methods for encoding color-coding systems and found that people were better at assignment inference when color sets simultaneously maximized the association strength between assigned color-object parings while minimizing associations between unassigned pairings. Our study provides an approach for designing intuitive color-coding systems that facilitate communication through visual media such as graphs, maps, signs, and artifacts.

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/color-inference-in-visual-communication-the-meaning-of-colors-in-pDfGfBk005?articleList=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Drecycling%2Bsigns%26page%3D2

Examining the Effects of Recycling Outreach on Recycling Behavior in Residence Halls at the University of California, Berkeley

Recycling outreach (also called recycling education) is a method that recycling organizations use to promote recycling behavior. Little is currently known about whether recycling outreach methods are successful at achieving the goal of increased recycling participation. This study examined the effect of recycling outreach on the weight of mixed paper recycled in four residence halls at University of California, Berkeley. After collecting initial baseline measurement for three weeks, posters aimed at changing attitudes and perceptions about recycling were placed in two of the four residence halls, and measurements were collected for a period of three more weeks. The data from residence halls with posters was compared to the control residence halls without posters, and to the baseline data. No significant difference was detected between the amount of mixed paper recycled in residence halls with poster and residence halls without posters. These results indicate that the recycling education poster approach used in this study is ineffective at increasing recycling participation in a university residence hall setting.

https://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/es196/projects/2002final/Schultz.pdf

Recycling Signage: Format for Effective Guidance for the Penn State Community

A survey was designed to compare three signage formats: text, icons and pictures. Our main question was whether waste disposal behavior was significantly more accurate for one or two of these signage formats. Participants were asked to sort waste items, based on the specific signage displayed for compost, landfill, plastic and paper bins. We then compared the accuracy of disposal behavior between the three signage groups. For each bin, participants were asked to sort eight items into two boxes (one correct and one incorrect behavior). Each sorting decision was then coded into a 0 (incorrect) – 1 (correct) variable. All eight variables for each bin were summarized into one variable for that bin. We also summarized all 32 decisions into one overall dependent variable measuring accurate disposal behavior. Other questions in the survey were included to control for other factors known to influence sustainable behavior such as environmental identity and social norms. To account for order, we also randomized the presentation of assigning signage group to participant. In April 2017, surveys were sent to 2,500 randomly selected faculty and staff and 7,500 randomly selected students at Penn State via email. We received 1,294 completed surveys, all of which were used for data analysis, because there were no outliers or abnormalities in the responses.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kqV3cinx5-vLVRf9XPhq5WMLgA4_tE5C/view

Icons vs photos vs wording

Signage - not recycling specific

Shinar, Dewar, Summala,& Zakowska, 2003

The objective of this study was to evaluate the comprehension levels of highway traffic sign symbols used in different countries, to identify underlying rules that affect comprehension levels, and recommend approaches to deal with the problem. The need for such an evaluation was based on today's travel culture where people are often licensed in one country and then drive--without any further training--in another country. We compared the comprehension levels of different traffic sign symbols in four countries with moderate to high levels of motorization: Canada, Finland, Israel, and Poland. Five different driver populations were sampled in each country: novice drivers, college students, tourists, problem drivers, and older drivers. There were large differences in comprehension among specific sign messages, different countries, and different driver populations. Signs were comprehended best when they were consistent with general ergonomic guidelines for display design as they relate to spatial compatibility, conceptual compatibility, physical representation, familiarity, and standardization. Illustrations of compliance with these principles and violations of these principles are presented, and their implication for traffic safety are discussed. Specific recommendations for sign design that is compliant with ergonomic principles, and for greater international cooperation in sign symbol design are made.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Signs-used-in-the-study-and-the-countries-in-which-each-sign-is-in-use_fig1_8966232

Keep America Beautiful / SERA

Information to guide public space recycling programs is sparse. This study assembles existing literature and new on-site sorts and analyses to provide a guidebook for developing parks and downtown recycling programs at three levels—basic, better, and enhanced systems. Although the data show that contamination levels in public space recycling are hi gh, the study identifies best practices, quantitative data, and case studies to help communities improve public space recycling performance.

https://www.kab.org/sites/default/files/KAB_SERA_PublicSpaceRecycling_Final_Aug18.pdf

Bin performance in Park & downtown settings

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Recycling is a core way that college students can act altruistically. Many studies have been conducted to study how to increase the participation of recycling on college campuses, office buildings, and the like. Thisstudy focuses on the University Lutheran Chapel, a Christian church adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. While the University of Nebraska –Lincoln has drastically improved recycling participation in recent years, the University Lutheran Chapel lags behind. Pictorial signs were used in an experiment to determine whether they improved recycling rates at The Chapel. Recycling rates at the University Lutheran Chapel were measured by counting cups distributed and cups recycled during weekly Sunday lunches. After a baseline collection of six weeks, pictorial signs depicting recyclable materials were posted above recycling bins and three weeks of intervention data were collected. Data collected showed a higher overall percentage of cups recycled during the intervention period over the baseline period. The percentage of the intervention data was not significantly different than the overall percentage of the baseline data. It could not be confidently concluded that the pictorial signs were the reason for the increase in percentage of cups recycled. Injunctive norms may have been observed causing an impact on the rates, as the recycling percentage rose steadily throughout the baseline period. More research needs to be conducted on how injunctive norms can be used to impact recycling, especially in a church setting. A higher samplesize and longer periods for both baseline and intervention would have led to a more confident conclusion.

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276&context=envstudtheses

Undergrad project. Found that adding signs above bins increased the percentage of recyclable cups recovered in recycling bins. Sampling was too small to give significance to the results

Be the Change YouWant to See: Modeling Food Composting inPublic Places

Composting biodegradable material is an effective means of reducing landfill waste and improving the state of the environment. To encourage the use of public compost bins, two interventions were introduced in community shopping center food courts and a local, independently owned fast food restaurant: tabletop signs outlining the benefits of composting and models who demonstrated the behavior. When diners (n= 540) viewed confederate models composting ahead of them, they were more likely to compost as well (p< .001). However, the signs did not significantly influence composting rates, either alone (p> .05) or in combination with the models (p> .05). Results support the idea that proenvironmental actions can influence similar behavior in others and may be more effective than signage in doing so.

https://web.uvic.ca/~esplab/sites/default/files/Sussman%20%26%20Gifford%202013.pdf

The Effectiveness of Models and Prompts on Waste Diversion: A Field Experiment on Composting by Cafeteria Patrons†

Sussman, Greeno, Gifford, & Scannell

This study investigated whether or not visual prompts and human models influence compost‐supportive behavior by individuals in a cafeteria setting. Waste disposal behavior of cafeteria patrons was observed (N = 1,060) after the introduction of (1) pro‐composting signs, and (2) models who demonstrated appropriate composting behavior. Ideal composting significantly increased relative to the baseline with the introduction of the signs (from 12.5% to 20.5%). A further increase (to 42%) was observed when two (but not one) individuals modeled the behavior, and this increase was sustained even after the models were removed. Informational and normative influences may explain the increase in composting. This study further supports the use of prompts and models as a strategy for encouraging pro‐environmental behaviors.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256446430_The_Effectiveness_of_Models_and_Prompts_on_Waste_Diversion_A_Field_Experiment_on_Composting_by_Cafeteria_Patrons

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256446430_The_Effectiveness_of_Models_and_Prompts_on_Waste_Diversion_A_Field_Experiment_on_Composting_by_Cafeteria_Patrons

The Effects of Adjacency of Trash and Recycling Bins In Motivating Waste Separation Behavior

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The increasing amount of solid waste generation is a common issue facing by the countries worldwide. To overcome this problem, many countries implement recycling as the alternative to reduce the amount of solid waste generated. In order to achieve the target set of to achieve 22% of recycling rate in the year 2020, Malaysia government has implemented mandatory waste separation among the Malaysian household. Previous studies have showed that in order to motivate people to practice waste separation, the recycling bin should be placed in shorter distance. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of adjacency of trash bin and recycling bins in motivating waste separation behavior. The scope of this study is shopping mall in Johor Bahru, Johor. Empirical data were collected through experiment settings. Observation sessions have been conducted for a period of fourteen days. The subjects involved in the experiment were selected using convenience sampling technique. Descriptive analysis and Chi-Square test analysis were employed to analyze the data gathered. A total of 715 subjects were involved in the experiment settings. The results of Chi-Square test analysis showed that there are significant differences in waste separation practice when the trash bin is adjacent to the recycling bin. This study has confirmed that the subjects were motivated to practice waste separation when the recycling bin and trash bin were placed adjacently. This study may serve as a guidance to the governance in motivating people to practice waste separation in order to achieve 22% of recycling rate in the year 2020.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2202.13754.pdf

Underlying Behavior

The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior

Boston U; U of Alberta

The present research examines conditions under which consumers dispose of recyclable products in the garbage. Results from a field study and four laboratory studies demonstrate that a consumer’s decision to recycle a product or throw it in the trash can be determined by the extent to which the product has been distorted during the consumption process. Specifically, if the consumption process distorts a product sufficiently from its original form (i.e., changes in size or form), consumers perceive it as less useful and in turn are more likely to throw it in the garbage (as opposed to recycle it). These findings point to important outcomes of the consumption process that have largely been ignored and provide initial insight into the psychological processes influencing recycling behavior.

https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/40/4/632/2907486

Trash or Recycle? How Product Distortion Leads to Categorization Error During Disposal

Boston U; Utah State; U of Alberta

Much of what ends up in our landfills is recyclable material, exposing the urgent need to understand the psychological processes behind recycling behavior. Results from four studies suggest that consumers often trash well-known recyclable products due to the product being erroneously categorized as trash after it has been distorted (e.g., paper after it has been cut, torn, or crumpled). However, this categorization error can be somewhat mitigated by the presence of signage depicting the different distorted forms the recyclable product can take. Through prompting, consumers are able to correctly categorize a recyclable product when disposing of it, regardless of the level of distortion. These results provide an explanation for, and potential solution to, the issue of recyclable materials making their way into our landfills every day.

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/156cd7_a7ad46a7756045b298758dc01a9b2d72.pdf

Studied: 1) impact on recycling behavior when recyclable items distorted beyond normal condition, in this case sheets of paper cut into smaller pieces; 2) Convenience - willingness to walk further for recycling bin; 3) Using special sign showing disorted paper to counter affect of distortion

1# People less likely to recycle when bin is 10 feet further past trash (70%), then when paired together (80%) // 2# People less likely to recycle recyclable items if they are distorted from norm. 80% recycled whole sheet, while 42% recycled cutup pieces. Affect accuentated when recycling option less convenient. Similar effect when paper crumpled into ball: 78% recycled shole sheet, 8% recycled crumpled ball. // 3# Adding special signage depicting distorted paper (crumpled and cut up) (in addition to regular, non-specific sign included w/ both conditions) significantly increased recycling rate for distorted paper. 43% recycled w/ special sign vs 25% w/out sign.

Signs can be effective to influence behavior. Special signage specifically calling out target item had significant impact on recycling behavior. Could this apply to common contaminant items like coffee cups?

AASHE HUB - Member login required

Tested to 2 signage conditions (social comparison/benchmarking; Conservation message) + Control

5% improvement in capture with social benchmark message. Question whether this was lasting effect.

Public Space: Recycling, Composting and Trash Bin Design and Signage

George Washington University; Keep America Beautiful; Action Research

While recycling is considered one of the easiest environmental behaviors for the general public to perform, those seeking to implement recycling on-the-go infrastructure have many unanswered questions about designing the most effective program. This poster begins to answer some design questions based on survey data that asked respondents to identify: •which bin shapes, colors, and lids they associated with trash, recycling and composting •what signage (language and images) helped them accurately determine what should go into a recycling bin.

https://www.resource-recycling.com/images/KAB1215rr.pdf

Survey to identify the bin design and signage attributes people associate with recycling vs trash or organics.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pictorial vs. Textual Prompts on Recycling Accuracy, Item Count, and Total Weight in a Multi-Level Campus Building

Turske, Schipper, Bajo & Van Houten

Western Michigan University

With an ever-increasing population and a culture that heavily relies on single-use products, waste generation has become a topic of concern. In response to this issue, solid waste reduction and recycling behaviors have gained the attention of many researchers. Previous studies primarily focused on the effect of antecedent alterations, such as the use of prompts, on recycling rates. This current study compares the efficacy of textual and pictorial prompts, while also assessing the effect of bin types and configurations – variations in number of bins and proximity to building exits – on both recycling/landfill disposal rates and the accuracy of disposal. It was conducted using a reversal with an embedded multi-element design on the campus of Western Michigan University in Wood Hall; participants included anyone that used the hall’s waste bins including, students, faculty, and visitors. Item counts, and weights were collected daily for each pod which consist of three sections - paper/cardboard, glass/metal/plastic, and landfill. Results showed that the more pods added to a floor the greater the amount of weight and item count was able to be captured. Item accuracy remained constant throughout all phases of the study.