Blogs|Environment

As the electronics industry keeps growing, so does electronic waste—or e-waste. Every year, millions of old or broken devices are thrown away. When these items end up in landfills, they can harm both people and the environment. This blog will explain what e-waste is, why it’s a problem, and how proper recycling can help reduce the damage. What Is E-Waste? E-waste includes any electronic items that are no longer wanted or working. This can be anything from phones and laptops to TVs, refrigerators, printers, microwaves,…

By my count, there are no fewer than 130 published academic papers that have studied some aspect of how to influence recycling behavior. This is a lot of effort to understand what seems like a simple, routine action: what causes a person to drop an empty bottle or sheet of paper through the opening of one bin versus another? We’ve learned a number of things over time. Recycling behavior is driven by layers of factors, including the situation a person experiences as they discard an…

What have we learned? How do we apply it?   This blog is part of a series of conversations between Busch System’s Senior Advisor, Alec Cooley and Brenda Pulley exploring the science of recycling behavior in relation to bin and signage design.   Read PART ONE of the series. Read PART TWO of the series.   Brenda:  We’re back for the third and final installment of this set of blogs exploring the effectiveness of using words vs. images on bin signage. These in turn are part of a…

I’ve studied recycling in public spaces for a number of years. I’ve watched webinars and read case studies. I’ve networked with folks around the US and Canada. I’ve read many studies and even commissioned a few. But when I’m periodically asked to name the top outdoor public space recycling programs, ones that have solved problems like contamination or low participation in parks or downtown areas, I don’t have any to offer. I can point to communities that have put serious effort into building and refining…