An Evaluation of Municipal Recycling Programs in Massachusetts

Recycling reduces the pollution associated with manufacturing new products, and also decreases the amount of money spent on landfills and acquiring raw materials. Despite the environmental and economic benefits, there is currently no legislation regulating recycling practices; it is up to individual towns to develop and enforce their recycling programs. This study examines factors affecting municipal recycling programs in Massachusetts. Demographic and recycling program data for the 350 towns in Massachusetts were analyzed and compared to determine what factors lead to a successful recycling program. The analysis suggests that demographics have a significant effect on the recycling rate in a town. In Massachusetts, western counties have higher average recycling rates than those counties in the east. Education and income levels also play a role; towns with higher incomes and a greater percentage of residents with Bachelor’s Degrees have higher recycling rates. The type of program in place, whether it is curbside, drop-off, single-stream, or pay-as-you-throw (PAYT), also has an impact on the success of the recycling program. PAYT and single-stream systems were suggested to increase recycling rates, while the data suggests that in Massachusetts residents who live in towns with drop-off programs actually recycle more material than those in towns with curbside service. Increasing the budget for recycling programs is another possible way this study found to raise recycling rates, while at the same time increasing the revenue earned per ton of recycled material for the government. Although this study focused on Massachusetts, the inclusion of demographic data will allow these suggestions for improving recycling practices to be applied across the country. Introduction There has been a growing focus on green practices in the United States, and a substantial part of these practices is the residential recycling of paper, glass, metal, and plastic materials. Recycling