Conference Agenda

We evaluate the impact of curbside recycling collection service on the recycling and sorting of plastics, with a focus on plastic bottles. We conducted a non-randomized field experiment with a three-stage intervention in two middle-income neighborhoods in Osorno, a city in southern Chile. First, we introduced open-access street recycling bins in both neighborhoods to establish a baseline scenario. Next, we implemented a curbside recycling collection system in the treatment sector, which involves door-to-door collection. Finally, we distributed normative appeal brochures in the treatment area. Special attention is given to the effects of the interactions between both types of recycling services. Furthermore, we investigate whether appealing to personal norms reinforces the effect of the curbside recycling collection system. Our findings show that a curbside recycling collection service increases plastic recycling, and that both types of recycling options are complementary. Our results suggest the absence of reinforcement effect when normative appeals are provided, and that the curbside recycling collection service increases the amount of non-recyclable waste in recycling bins. This may most likely be due to the higher chance that people recycling through the curbside recycling collection service can be exposed as recycling improperly.