Benefits of recycling incentive schemes questioned

Schemes which reward or penalise Londoners for recycling rubbish work well at first, but it is unclear whether they will lead to changes in behaviour in the long term, a new report from the London Assembly has said today (May 17).

Carrots and Sticks by the Assemblys Environment Committee says recycling is essential to reducing overall waste and, in recent years, rates of recycling in the capital have increased significantly, but appear to have stalled. London currently has the lowest rate in the country with just a third (32%) of waste being recycled compared to a national average of 39%.

In his draft municipal waste management strategy, London MayorBoris Johnson has set a target for Londoners to recycle at least 45% of household waste by 2015, rising to 60% by 2031. The Committee says that unless rates increase or landfill rates fall, the capital could face a bill of 152 million per year for landfill costs by 2014/15.

The report said recycling rates have improved quite dramatically where boroughs have introduced penalty and reward schemes such as the American rewards scheme RecycleBank and compulsory recycling.

However, it found that there are benefits and drawbacks associated with both types of schemes, suggesting a single solution will not work across the capital. For example, Londons high proportion of flats accounting for over 50% of properties, its transient population and the number of households without internet access (26% of homes), could affect the success of incentive schemes.

In addition, the more adversarial approach of compulsory schemes was found to sometimes discourage ongoing communication with residents.

The Committee heard from those running reward schemes that participants may need to be re-incentivised once recycling rates have reached a plateau, and no-one has been fined under the compulsory model to date as the legislation was not designed for this purpose.

Waste mountain

Darren Johnson, deputy chair of the Environment Committee, said: It is very encouraging that rates have improved so considerably in recent years, but there is much more to be done to cut down on Londons waste mountain.

The capital does face unique challenges and it is clear that there isnt a one-size-fits-all approach. Whatever method boroughs use to reduce waste must result in long-term changes if we are to avoid the unwanted economic and environmental consequences of sending tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year.

As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor who has been a strong advocate of financial recycling incentive schemes such as RecycleBank.

The report also highlights that:

Incentive schemes need to be specifically designed to address London-specific issues around housing stock, transient populations and equality of access.

A more comprehensive evidence base should be developed so the effect of incentive schemes on recycling rates can be properly determined.

Communication about the value of recycling and the need to manage waste sustainably is key to the success of the schemes.

Weight-based reward schemes could have unintended consequences, for example individuals deliberately generating more waste to maximise their rewards.