Incentives for recycling

[2010]

The best way to persuade people to do it, is to have some sort of incentive.

Even if it's just a few $, more people will consider it. Right now in some neighborhoods you have to go to the recycling center to do it, and that's time consuming so people just dump their recyclables with the normal trash.

They should receive some sort of incentive for recycling, perhaps have the town pick it up and then hold a record of how much recyclables were received from that household and at the end of the year give them something (even if it's not money).

[themarkofpolo]

They should follow suit of water companies. From what I understand, many suppliers used to bill flat fees for monthly usage, but now the bill is dependent on per unit usage. This provides incentive to conserve water.

Trash companies could start charging by the pound for garbage. Landfills are filling quickly and few new ones are being built. That would provide incentive to recycle. Besides, certain recyclables do pay. Aluminum garners 50-70 cents/lb in my area.

And of course recycling is only one of the three R's. Reduce first, Reuse if possible, and Recycle the rest.

[2010]

Well the thing is that right now we don't currently pay the trash pickup directly, I'm sure that costs comes from the tax money we pay every year but the way the system works that per usage thing wouldn't work out. Plus if that were to happen then some people would just accumulate a bunch of trash and dump it in isolated areas at night to avoid these fees. And yes those recycling centers do buy that stuff, but the problem is that people are not making the effort to take it there (time constraints, laziness in some cases etc.).

[themarkofpolo]

Ironically, I pay my per-unit water bill and my flat-fee trash bill.
on the same ticket.

But, that is an example of a negative incentive.
Some municipalities DO require residents to recycle, though most of those have pickup services. And residents DO incur fines for not participating.

Unfortunately, reimbursing residents (in $, at least) who drop off recyclables may run the recycling program low on funds. Most paper, plastics, and cardboards get only small reimbursements per ton from the industries who take them. Depending on the size and organization of the program, subsidies may be necessary to provide residents with some sort of incentive, besides the intangible incentive of "doing what's right."

Keeping track of residents who recycle and then having a drawing for prizes might be incentive. Or perhaps coupon books could be dispensed to frequent recyclers. Those programs could surely get prizes or coupons donated for that cause.

[hankjmatt]

Many suppliers used to bill flat fees for monthly usage, but now the bill is dependent on per unit usage. This provides incentive to conserve water.