Why people recycle flat but not crumpled up paper

A lot of recyclable material winds up in landfills. Clearly, this is in part because some people still don’t recycle. A new study by researchers at Boston University USA suggests that our failure to recycle is also driven by cognitive processes that lead us to instinctively miscategorize recyclable objects when they change their shapes or appearances. And that’s a mistake that can be made even by people who are conscientious recyclers in general.
More specifically, the research finds that we’re more likely to recycle flat, pristine paper than balled up or cut up paper. An article about the research is published in Environment and Behavior (News Item The Washington Post, 25 March 2015).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for an abstract of the published article.

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