Reduce, reuse, recycle – it’s the song we’ve all been singing since we were four years old. How diligent are we about recycling in our day to day lives, though? Do you make sure to recycle all the single-use bottles you grab from the P.O.D? What about your used notebooks that you no longer need after the semester ends? How about all the plastic bags from your weekly trips to Walmart? 

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, only 32% of Americans recycle. A survey from the World Economic Forum determined that the reason this percentage is so low is because many people lack convenient access to recycling facilities. With no incentive to drive out of their way to recycle a few bottles, it’s no wonder so many people choose to throw their plastic in the garbage can. If we want more people to recycle, we need to combine easier access to proper facilities and roadside collection services with incentives, such as bottle deposits and reward-based programs, in order to do so. 

Especially in the South, recycling can be a hassle. Unlike many northern states, where state taxes pay for curbside garbage and recycling collection for all residents, residents of southern states have to pay a private company for curbside services. In the eyes of many frugal southerners, paying $15 a month for a service they receive no immediate benefit from isn’t worth it. Some may even live so rural that curbside collection vehicles will not come out to their house. If they don’t live relatively close to a recycling facility, it seems that they are out of options. 

One initiative that could help this problem is an economic incentive such as bottle deposits. Bottle deposits are a refundable deposit on certain beverage containers that usually range between five to 10 cents. When you buy a single-use bottle, such as a bottle of pop, you pay this deposit as part of the cost of the product. Once you are done with the drink, you can return the bottle to the store and get your deposit back. From there, the store can ensure that the bottle gets recycled properly. It’s as easy as that.

Bottle deposits are a great way to help get recycling rates up, as consumers have an economic stake in the game. If you buy a 12-pack of pop with a deposit of 10 cents per bottle, you can get one dollar and twenty cents back by returning your bottles. For frequent buyers, that price adds up over time, which further inclines them to recycle. 

Bottle deposits are also great because they can be implemented at any ordinary grocery store. The lack of a nearby recycling center is no longer as much of an issue because residents can recycle a portion of their recyclable materials at their local grocery store. While it may not completely solve the issue, it is a huge and necessary step in making sure that more people recycle their single-use plastic bottles. 

Another economic incentive that could help increase recycling is reward-based programs such as RecycleBank. RecycleBank is a curbside collection program that tracks households’ recycling habits and rewards them with points that can be used towards discounts at local stores and sustainable products online when they participate in recycling opportunities and events. 

The program works by distributing recycling bins to households and weighing the bins each week during collection, rewarding points to users based on how much they recycled that week. The program has proven to increase recycling rates in numerous cities, but its success is limited by the fact that it is only available in certain areas. If access to this program could extend to more cities and rural areas especially, more people would be incentivized to recycle as much as they can. 

Admittedly, recycling alone is not going to save us from the impending climate crisis, but it can certainly do a lot to help. Easier access to recycling facilities combined with economic incentives would do a lot to help push more people to recycle. We unfortunately do not have economic incentives like bottle deposits and reward programs in Rome, but don’t let that discourage you from recycling when you can. We are lucky to have access to recycling bins on campus, so next time you finish your plastic bottle of pop from the P.O.D, be sure to put it in the proper bin.