Fostering Recycling Participation in Wisconsin Households through Single-Stream Programs

Abstract

Single-stream recycling enables households to recycle an unsorted mix of cans, plastic, glass, and paper, thereby reducing recycling costs. The expansion of single-stream recycling in Wisconsin provides a natural experiment to assess the extent to which single-stream increases recycling behavior. Using a longitudinal database that matches household recycling participation to county-level recycling policies from Wisconsin, we identify respondent and county characteristics that promote recycling. The results of both fixed-effects regressions and a differences-in-differences analysis demonstrate that single-stream programs increase recycling within households. The shift from dual-stream to single-stream has benefits exceeding costs. (JEL Q53)