1. CAROL WERNER UNIVERSITY OF UTAH KAB CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2011 Increasing “Good” Recycling: Self-motivated, Correct, Reliable

2. What is the single most important thing we can do to improve the quantity and quality of recycling? There is no single thing. Think about the whole system – think long-term. Create the right environment. Use a holistic approach in which individual’s attitudes and motivations are supported by the social, physical, and policy-economic environment.

3. Individual Social milieu Economic-political system Physical environment Individual (perceived barriers, norms, attitudes, knowledge of consequences, procedural knowledge, scripts/habits, “intrinsics,” etc.) Social milieu (friends, family, public figures, mass media, etc.) Physical environment (access to facilities; ease of behavior; reminders of behavior, etc.) Economic-political system (laws, policies, taxes; funds for supportive environment; higher garbage fees; small garbage cans plus large recycling bins; Embed Individual in Multiple Behavioral Supports Holistic Approach No “Magic Bullet”

4. Example of Holistic Approach Embed Individual in his/her social group (classmates, parents, teacher)  Emphasize “ownership” - local decision-making ; psychological investment by each individual  Teacher and students decide what to recycle, how to organize, where to put recycling center  They involve other classes; group enthusiasm builds, spreads to individuals, spreads back to group  “Institutionalizing”: Parent volunteers to help (gives continuity year to year – “long-term”) Supportive Physical Environment  Clear, written, visible instructions from peers!  Convenient recycling center in school  Recycling company provides free pickup

5. Self-motivated, correct, reliable Goal is to create people who want to recycle, who care about recycling correctly, and who remember to recycle We push them in this direction with settings and signage that support recycling. Consider Some Problem Cases

6. Problem 1: “University Students Don’t Care” University Union Food Services removed dishwasher and began using polystyrene plates, cups, utensils. Students and faculty protested, Food Services agreed to provide recycling program Program failed. Bins put into storage.

7. Professional sign; small, does not attract attention. Even multiple bins did not help. Attractive but ineffective. No recycling! University concluded students did not want to recycle!

8. Class project. Four large signs. Attracted attention! Unprofessional but very effective.

9. Note visual examples of acceptable recyclables No definition of polystyrene. No identification with reader. Note “Holism”: Use of peer group to under- score normative support “Urgent” only one chance

10. Recycling (wt) Contamination Replication with Professionally Made Signs

11. Take Away Make signs visible from a distance Show what needs to be recycled Show there is normative support Maintain convenience with multiple bins

12. Problem 2. Newspaper Recycling Students were leaving newspapers all over classrooms Custodial Services annoyed they had to clean up Tried signs on garbage cans to encourage use of recycling bins Not much response Analyzed the “social ecology” of recycling

13. After 2 It’s Up to You! Social ecology of newspaper use: Students left newspapers in classrooms in order to share them with next group of students. Recycling would be unfriendly and wasteful! Needed intervention that acknowledged sharing while also encouraging recycling. Sharing not frequent after 2pm (too few students coming in). Targeted 2pm for recycling

14. After 2 It’s Up to You! Treatment: Two Signs to Address Sharing & Recycling: On wall, acknowledged newspaper sharing, said “few students in PM,” and asked for “proper disposal”* On garbage cans, asked for recycling “after 2 it’s up to you” vs. Comparison: No sharing acknowledged (energy conservation sign instead); on garbage cans asked for recycling, added “It’s up to you” (nothing about 2pm) *to avoid two recycling signs in comparison to control group

15. Success! Shifted recycling to PM (little recycling in AM, much in PM) Take Away Need to understand how people view their behavior Can then accommodate their view, but also explain how they can help solve the problem. Use signs on garbage cans (interrupt disposal) and walls, multiple sources of information

16. Problem 3. Aluminum Can Recycling Provided recycling bins next to soda machines Low recycling Check social ecology. Interviews with students indicated recycling too inconvenient. Took soda to class, exited building far from recycling bin.

17. Carefully Crafted Signs Located to “interrupt” the throw-it- away script  We put signs on garbage cans, with instructions for getting to recycling bin “Validate & Persuade”  Validate = Acknowledge inconvenience  Designed to reduce complaints of inconvenience  Designed to increase “self-talk” in which the person mulls over the information and self-persuades

18. Compare Two Signs No Aluminum Cans, Please!!!!!!! Use the Recycler Located Close to the Telephones on the First Floor. Recycling is important No Aluminum Cans, Please!!!!!!! Use the Recycler Located Close to the Telephones on the First Floor. It May Be Inconvenient, but Recycling is important validation Both effective, but only sign with validation effective after signs removed

19. Persuasion for long-term change: Combine strong reason with “self-talk” A message or reason they should recycle (“it is important”) PLUS Something to activate “self-talk” – favorable thoughts about the message  We used “clinical validation” – acknowledging the person’s complaint.  client feels “understood” and reciprocates by listening to clinician  in recycling, “validation” should make person willing to think about the message, receptive to message

20. People Warned us not to Validate Complaints “Why remind people recycling is inconvenient? That will reduce recycling.” Not! “Validate/persuade” was a very successful sign, especially after signs removed “Content analyses” showed validation:  Increased positive reactions to sign  Reduced complaints that  sign was demanding (“!!!!!!!”)  “important” was vague  “Self-talk” helped them figure out why recycling is important

21. Summary: Each Problem Solved Holistically Individual embedded in social, physical, and policy-economic context. We created supportive physical/social contexts  Signs located to interrupt “disposal” script  Polystyrene recycling: multiple huge signs; clearly written by social peers; policy support = polystyrene recycling pick-up  Different from non-supportive – e.g., ignored social ecology of newspaper use We changed individuals’ attitude with well-known persuasion technique that included our own strategy for getting people to think about the message (validating inconvenience)

22. Individual is Embedded in Complex Environment Individual in Social, Physical, and Policy-Economic environment  These can support or undermine recycling No magic bullet – think holistically – provide as much support as possible Understand the “social ecology” of behavior Create signs and environmental support to reach goal.

23. Thanks! carol.werner@psych.utah.edu