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What’s Behind Consumers’ Recycling Beliefs & Behaviors?What’s Behind Consumers’ Recycling Beliefs & Behaviors?
Insights from the 2024 WM Recycling Report that digs into the sustainability positions and practices of consumers and businesses can help brands differentiate and gain customers.
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At a Glance
- Fully 75% of consumers are more likely to buy from companies that use recycled materials in packaging or products.
- Uncertainty about what can and can’t be recycled keep consumers from tossing recyclables in the bin.
A new research report from Houston-based recycler WM on recycling perceptions and behaviors identifies gaps in recycling education and access, and also highlights the role recycling can play in building brand value.
Conducted by WM (previously known as Waste Management) in collaboration with The Futurum Group, the research included online surveys of US consumers and businesses. In total, 1,045 respondents participated, with a similar number in each survey group.
Brands can differentiate themselves and possibly drive sales by using recycled content.
The results show that brands can differentiate themselves and possibly drive sales by using recycled content. In the consumer survey, 75% of the respondents said they were more likely to buy products from companies that include recycled material in their packaging and products.
Additionally, 75% of consumer respondents said they were more likely to buy products made with recyclable materials, and 70% reported being more likely to purchase products made of recycled materials.
However, up to 60% of consumer respondents said they weren’t clear on which brands use recycled materials in their products. Education is needed to fix this knowledge gap.
But is it really recycled?
Although 86% of consumer respondents who recycle said they do recycle plastic bottles and containers, 10% were “not at all” confident that their plastics were being recycled.
A much higher percentage of non-recyclers lack confidence in plastics recycling. About 30% of consumer respondents said they don’t recycle, and 50% of those said they are “not at all” or “not very” confident that plastic items in recycling bins actually get recycled.
64% of consumers surveyed said if they better understood what and how to recycle, they would do more of it.
Consumer ignorance about how recycling works is also a challenge. Fully 45% of the consumer respondents pointed to a lack of knowledge about what is (and is not) recyclable as their main barrier to recycling. Similarly, 64% of consumers surveyed said if they better understood what and how to recycle, they would do more of it.
Location has a strong impact on consumer recycling behavior, as well. Rural consumers lack access to curbside programs, making recycling inconvenient. Consequently, rural consumers are less likely to recycle than their urban and suburban peers.
Some 55% of rural respondents said they recycle, vs. 68% of urban and 70% of suburban respondents.
Lack of recycling access for city dwellers takes a different shape: 38% of urban respondents said “too-full recycling bins” often keep them from recycling, vs. 3% of rural consumers.
Recycling is critical in meeting brands’ sustainability goals.
Results of the business survey indicate commercial recycling is on the upswing for reasons of corporate citizenship, as well as brand image.
Among the business respondents, 69% reported their corporate recycling program had grown/expanded in the past two years, and 55% were planning to expand their programs.
Recycling clearly plays a key role in the sustainability programs of most companies; 87% reported recycling is somewhat important to meeting their sustainability goals, and 64% said it “very” or “critically” important in that regard.
In addition, 50% of the business survey’s participants said it was “very” or “critically” important for their brand to be linked with recycling and sustainability.
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