If every home in the U.S. had convenient access to recycling, more than half of recyclable material would still be lost. Why? Because most Americans are confused about what and how to recycle. No recycling system performs at a high level without winning the hearts and minds of consumers to use it properly and to its fullest extent.
To address this need, The Partnership is launching the Center for Sustainable Behavior & Impact. The Center will drive measurable change by leveraging our National Recycling Database (see page 25), including targeted pilots of the newly launched chatbot, community partnerships, proven recycling education, and established track record of improving local recycling programs.
Critical drivers of behavior include communication and consumer education, physical and in-home support, packaging design, labeling for true recyclability, and trust in the recycling process. Given these drivers, the Center will initially focus on: expanding our research on barriers and sentiments toward recycling, testing solutions to improve recycling behavior, and creating a playbook and accompanying online tool to make best practices and key insights widely available.
Ultimately, the Center will become a hub for innovative consumer-focused solutions that improve recycling, empower recycling leaders to optimize their programs, and advance circularity.
See more stories of how The Recycling Partnership is solving for people and planet in the 2022 Impact Report.