{"671996":{"#nid":"671996","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Recycling Habits Are Hard to Break, New Research Shows ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/econ.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/dylan-brewer\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDylan Brewer,\u003C\/a\u003E an assistant professor at Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Economics, and Samantha Cameron, an alumna of the School and Ph.D. student at the University of California-Davis, suggests that pausing recycling programs may not have long-term effects on recycling habits.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/pam.22554?saml_referrer\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETheir new paper,\u003C\/a\u003E published in the \u003Cem\u003EJournal of Policy Analysis and Management,\u003C\/em\u003E is \u0022the first empirical test of the hypothesis that recycling habits will degrade if recycling programs are not maintained,\u0022 the researchers said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBrewer and Cameron examined a natural experiment in New York City, where the government paused the recycling program from 2002 to 2004. By comparing recycling rates in New York City to rates in Massachusetts and New Jersey, where recycling continued uninterrupted, the researchers found that \u0022from 2006 to 2008, [NYC] recycling rates were unaffected by the pause. The finding of a quick rebound in recycling is consistent with persistent skills and habits in recycling.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecycling is often unprofitable, so this is a valuable insight for policymakers weighing the management and continuity of recycling programs during economic fluctuations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile cities maintain recycling programs during unprofitable periods for many reasons \u2014 it preserves environmental benefits and can prepare for future program profitability despite potential short-term financial strains \u2014 Brewer and Cameron\u0027s study shows that continuing programs over concerns that workers and people using the service will lose their recycling skills may be unfounded.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStill, there are some caveats. NYC is unique in many ways, including a 1989 law making recycling mandatory. However, a closer look by the researchers showed that law enforcement did not heavily influence the return to recycling. Instead, habit and skill retention, pause duration, continuous waste collection programs \u2014 NYC still collected paper, metal, and organic material during the pause \u2014 and the simplicity of recycling processes played pivotal roles. Still, the researchers recommend further exploration to understand habit persistence in recycling behaviors across diverse settings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Our results are relevant to policymakers considering whether to discontinue an unprofitable arm of a municipal recycling program,\u0022 Brewer and Cameron conclude. \u0022This natural experiment suggests that recycling rates can recover quickly, at least when the pause is short, and other municipal waste services continue. The quick recovery implies that policymakers need not be concerned that recycling rates will take a long time to rebuild.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHabit and Skill Retention in Recycling\u201d was published in the J\u003Cem\u003Eournal of Policy Analysis and Management\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;in November 2023. It is available at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/pam.22554\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/pam.22554\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAfter a two-year pause, New York City residents returned to their previous recycling habits within a year of the program\u0027s restart.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"After a two-year pause, New York City residents returned to their previous recycling habits within a year of the program\u0027s restart."}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2024-01-09 20:57:39","changed_gmt":"2024-01-09 21:00:13","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"672703":{"id":"672703","type":"image","title":"recycling.jpg","body":null,"created":"1704833958","gmt_created":"2024-01-09 20:59:18","changed":"1704833958","gmt_changed":"2024-01-09 20:59:18","alt":"Stock image of a woman sorting her recyclables into different boxes.","file":{"fid":"255995","name":"pics (32).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/01\/09\/pics%20%2832%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/01\/09\/pics%20%2832%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":151038,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/01\/09\/pics%20%2832%29.jpg?itok=lewEZi2Y"}}},"media_ids":["672703"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1282","name":"School of Economics"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dminardi3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dminardi3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}