Use commitment to increase uptake of recycling services

Provide personal recycling bins for households and prompt them to write down an implementation intention plan by asking them when, where and how they are going to recycle.

Behavioral Tools: Planning Prompt, Hassle Simplification

Benchmarked Intervention

Experiment Overview

Recycling at a company was increased by providing employees with a personal recycling box for old paper. The box was noticeably placed near each participant’s desk, and instructions to visualize and write an implementation intention plan were given. Participants were asked to plan when, where and how they were going to recycle their old paper and used recycle cups.

Impact

Source: Petersson, C. (2014). Enabling sustainable choices in everyday life–12 strategies to promote behaviour change.