Incentives for Recycling

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Incentives for Recycling Worthing Wick a
comparison - Firooz Firoozmand Waste
Energy Research Group (WERG)
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Agenda

• The story so far
• Making recycling work
• Arun Worthing
• Activities during incentives
• Comparing results
• Conclusions
• What next?

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IS EVERY ONE DOING IT?
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Englands waste recycling The story so far
THE GOOD

• Pre millennium MSW increased at about 3.5 pa
  NOW slowed down to 1.5 pa
• Recycling and composting of household waste
  doubled in last 4 yrs
• LAs on course to meet 2005 National household
  waste recycling target of 25
  

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WHERE ARE WE HEADING?
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Englands waste recycling The story so far
THE UGLY

• Amount of waste generated continues to rise and
  20.9 million tonnes of it goes to landfill
• Compared to many European countries we produce
  more municipal waste per head and recycle less
• We still face challenges to achieve the level of
  diversion from landfill achieved by much of the
  rest of the EU

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People
Changing an individuals behaviour is by no
means an easy task. Encouraging people to change
their behaviour with regard to recycling is no
exception Ben Bradshaw-
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Making recycling work

• There is a need to meet national and
  international goals for sustainable waste
  management
• 4 in 5 households are served by a kerbside
  recycling scheme
• Target set to increase recycling from 23 to 40
  by 2010
• A mechanism is needed to encourage people to
  recycle more...

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Options

• Compulsory Recycling?
• Pay as you throw?
• Incentivisation?

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Whats being done to BUILD on the good

• The Waste and Energy Research Group (WERG) at the
  University of Brighton recently devised and
  managed 14 pilot studies to change householders
  recycling behaviours Funded by Defra
• We worked in collaboration with the district and
  county councils of West and East Sussex
• This presentation will focus on two test areas,
  Arun and Worthing, where vouchers usable in local
  shops were offered as an incentive.

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Arun Worthing
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Activities during incentives project

• Shop recruitment
• Reminder letters
• Baseline data
• Letter to householders
• PR and voucher drops
• Feedback from residents

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Key issues determining success

• The type of scheme
• Value of incentive
• Geography
• Recycling experience
• The shops participating

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Arun Scheme 1 (Fixed)- 1.25 Scheme 2
(Variable) 75p and 50p (if more than 1/3 full)
Worthing Scheme 1 (Variable) 2.50p at
furniture recycling store or 50p at local
store Scheme 2 (Green House) - 2.50 at
furniture recycling store
The Schemes
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Arun Fixed Scheme
Arun Variable Scheme
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Worthing Greenhouse Scheme
Worthing Variable Scheme
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Redemption of vouchers
Awarded Redeemed SG Greenhouse
6,000 47 Worthing Variable 6,410
38 Arun Fixed 2,756 77
Arun Variable 5,284 62
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• Proximity
• The types of goods participating
  
  
  shops were selling
• The Scheme start date (previous recycling
  experience)
• Getting the buy in of shop owners
• 1.00 enough to trigger behaviour

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Conclusion

• Value your voucher to trigger behaviour - results
  indicate 1.00
• Be selective in the choice of store
• Brief shop owners and get their buy in
• Fixed and variable schemes work as well as each
  other
• Other things affect the success of a scheme
• Communication between
  council and inhabitants
• Previous recycling
  experience
• Date recycling scheme
  initially started

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What next?

• Compare the voucher scheme with the other
  schemes
• 1 is the minimum to trigger behaviour
  understand the driver
• How certain demographics react to incentives
• Do a cost benefit analysis of incentives

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For further information
http//www.brighton.ac.uk/werg/