Economic theory predicts that individual recycling behavior gravitates toward extremes--either diligent recycling or no recycling at all. Using a nationally representative sample of 3,158 bottled water users, this article finds that this prediction is borne out for consumer recycling of plastic...

This paper examines household recycling participation by state among panelists in a large nationally representative internet survey panel. We report the percent of panelists in each state who indicate household recycling of cans, plastic, paper, or glass in the previous twelve months. These data...

Evidence from a nationally representative sample of households illuminates the determinants of recycling behavior for plastic water bottles. Private values of the environment are influential in promoting recycling, as are personal norms for pro-environmental behavior. However, social norms with...

Using an original, nationally representative sample of plastic water bottle users, this article examines the efficacy of policy mechanisms to foster increased recycling. In particular, it examines the impact of the stringency of a state’s laws on the availability of recycling opportunities...

Single-stream recycling enables households to recycle an unsorted mix of cans, plastic, glass, and paper, thereby reducing recycling costs. The expansion of single-stream recycling in Wisconsin provides a natural experiment to assess the extent to which single-stream increases recycling...