Motivating recycling behaviour: The role of deposit return systems and collection point design

This preliminary applied research study explores the potential effectiveness of Deposit Return Systems (DRS) in encouraging recycling behaviour in a HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) setting. A DRS starts with the introduction of a deposit collection point to facilitate that the guests return the deposit-levied packaging that they purchased on the business premise. The central research question in this study addresses how to lead guests to proper recycling behaviour. Recycling behaviour is conceptualized as disposing of deposit cans and bottles in specific collection points. Although the success of sustainable initiatives depends both on guest behaviour and on product design, these two angles are seldom applied together in general and in HORECA in particular. To answer the central question, we combined behavioural sciences with design for sustainable behaviour in an exploratory manner. Consequently, we introduced different prompt communication strategies and deposit collection point nudges, to explore which combination is most successful in leading guests to proper recycling behaviour in a canteen setting. Examples of strategies are visual prompts and verbal instructions. To measure the success of the nudges and prompts two measures were used: the deposit-levied packaging that ended in the collection point or in the garbage bin was counted; the level of recycling contamination. Chi-square was applied to analyse the data. The study highlights that the presence of a collection point increases guests’ motivation to collect deposit-levied packaging separately. The results show that the design of the collection points played a crucial role in reducing recycling contamination, as crate shaped collection point resulted in less recycling contamination compared to a bin shaped one. The findings suggest that, with proper product design and communication, DRS can be effectively applied not only in school canteens but also in cafes, catering services, and other HORECA businesses. The study uniquely employed an exploratory approach in a real-life setting in a university canteen to test the different behavioural interventions.