Erratic recycling behaviour is due to 3 biases:
1. Distortion bias – we tend to avoid recycling items which are distorted or damaged
2. Identity bias – we tend to recycle things linked to our identity (self, group) more
Solutions – sturdy packaging which will not be easily damaged, or packaging connected to us or our community will increase the chance of the packaging being recycled
Additionally, we tend to waste more resources if we know that we are going to recycle them, as the positive emotions associated with recycling take over the negative emotions associated with waste.
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