Recyclepedia

Our 2024 Recycling Survey results come at a time when the industry is facing major shifts.

Changing regulations, increased reliance on artificial intelligence, and expanding investment into circular economy initiatives. As the global push continues towards evolving guidelines, access to the right information will be crucial for resident participation and compliance.

Our Annual Survey, now in its 4^th consecutive year, tracks evolving trends, identifies common areas of misunderstanding, and highlights where more education is needed. Residents are quizzed about the recyclability of items based on their local guidelines, covering everything from common household materials like plastic bottles to more challenging items like drinking glasses and lightbulbs.

Environmental Impact

Residents across North America are showing continued interest in responsible waste management at home. The latest survey found that 82% of respondents believe recycling has a positive effect on the environment, a metric that has grown every year since the survey’s inception in 2021, speaking volumes to the investment local governments are putting into education.

Solving For Contamination

Contamination remains a challenge.

The overall correct answer rate for material recyclability measured at 68.9%, a slight decrease compared to previous years.

As many regions have set aggressive goals to increase recycling participation rates, proper education must be in place to combat misunderstanding and ultimately, lost materials.  

Jeff Galad, President of Recycle Coach, underscored the importance of providing accurate and accessible information, not only for recycling, but across all waste streams:

“Our mission is to help solve local waste and recycling challenges by providing residents with the information they need, when they need it. That may be information on whether or not a material can be recycled, what to do with organics, or how to properly dispose of bulky furniture and e-waste.”

Opportunities for Improved Material Recovery

Survey data reveals that misconceptions about local rules continue to result in the loss of valuable recyclables. Key findings include:

• 74.8% of respondents answered correctly when asked about plastic bottles, jars, and jugs, despite their acceptance in most programs.
• Aluminum foil containers, Tupperware, and plastic cutlery also ranked among materials that stumped residents.

Providing Communities with the Right Tools

Recycle Coach remains committed to empowering local governments with the tools they need to deliver effective education across all waste streams, including organics, yard waste, and bulky pick-up.

By leveraging on-demand digital technology, cities can ensure their residents have access to accurate, localized information when they need it most.

For the full 2025 Annual Survey results, please click here.

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Tourists are some of the biggest offenders in waste production, generating—in some areas—as much as twice the amount of waste as locals. They aren't provided with the same information as residents, nor do they have the same access to proper waste bins in a lot of circumstances. This leads to recyclable items ending up in the trash, and trash ending up in the parks, on the beaches, and in the street.  

Below, we’ve listed some ways to help tourists and visitors to your city learn how to recycle and dispose of their trash the right way.  

1. Increase your signage

Put up posters in high traffic areas like town squares, parks, beaches, and other tourism-heavy spots. Rent out billboards, collaborate with local hotels, and put a statement on your website—both your municipal and your tourism sites. Encourage visitors to keep your home beautiful and dispose of their waste properly.  

Tip: Offer multi-lingual signage and make use of graphics in order to reach more people.

2. Encourage visitors to download the Recycle Coach app  

When you’ve partnered with Recycle Coach, the app isn’t only for residents; anyone can use it! All visitors need to do is put in the address of where they’re staying, even if they aren’t taking their waste to the curb. The What Goes Where feature will allow them to search how to dispose of any item they’re unsure of.  

3. Increase available garbage and recycling bins  

Do you have any parks, beaches, or other locations whose waste bins are always overflowing? That might be a sign to increase the number of them. If you haven’t already, invest in a multi-functional waste bin with separate spots for trash, recycling, and organic waste (if that’s part of your program).  

Tip: Make sure to use clear signage so everyone knows what goes where.

4. Promote local and eco-friendly businesses  

Boost your local economy by encouraging visitors to shop local. Go one step further by doing some research to see if there are local eco-friendly businesses, such as sustainable clothing shops, zero-waste stores, and eco beauty shops that you can promote.  

5. Create a task force

If tourist waste is an ongoing problem in your area, creating a taskforce of employees to focus on the problem, create campaigns, and form solutions may be an effective next step.  

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Want to know more? Learn about Recycle Coach and how we can help your community dispose of waste properly and efficiently here.  

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In a recent poll conducted by Keep America Beautiful, 9 in 10 Americans reported that they recycle regularly. While 72% of these respondents recycle at home using curbside or community bins, only 51% recycle at public spaces, and approximately 40% recycle when visiting other people or when they’re at public events.  

There is a reason for this: those that feel negatively toward recycling find that they experience anxiety and stress surrounding the concept and practice. In general, recyclers feel more confident in recycling at home, where they know the rules better and feel assured that the items they put in their recycling will actually be recycled.  

Anxiety in Younger Generations

Overall, younger people feel more confused, overwhelmed, and anxious than older people when it comes to recycling. 42% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents agreed with the statement “I get anxious trying to figure out if something is recyclable or not,” while 46% of Gen Z respondents agreed with feeling “overwhelmed and unsure about where to put items in public recycling bins.” This trend continues throughout the poll: of the 2 in 5 Americans who have skipped recycling an item for fear of doing it incorrectly, Gen Z leads the pack with 58% of these respondents.  

A Lack of Trust

While recycling education used to be straightforward and simple (“reduce, reuse, recycle!”), everything changed dramatically several years ago. Before 2018, North America used to send our much of our collected recycling materials over to China. When that agreement ended, we were responsible for our own recycling. From there, every municipality had different rules. Courses had to be modified for students, and during this time, studies and exposés came out showing that huge percentages of recyclable materials are not recycled at all.  

This lack of transparency around recycling allowed for rules to be overlooked or even unknown to recyclers. This caused many people, especially those belonging to younger generations, to become apathetic toward recycling.  

Clear, standard education surrounding recycling seemed to disappear; confusion and “wish-cycling” took its place. Older generations, who were always taught that recycling is beneficial, continued to do it. Younger generations, feeling overwhelmed by the changes, the doubts, and even the lack of convenience, slowly dropped off on their recycling habits.  

Making Changes

With smartphones being a part of our daily lives--particularly for younger generations--we’re afforded the opportunity to learn on the go. Recycle Coach allows for simple, effective recycling education. Municipalities, haulers, schools, and organizations can take advantage of waste information being easily accessible and in younger generations hands at all times.  

Recycling education can make all the difference. Knowing what you can and can’t put into the recycling bin helps keep contaminants out of the recycling stream and allows for a smoother recycling process.  

Recycle Coach provides a space for our partners to educate their residents, clients, and students. Our “What Goes Where” tool, educational resources, and waste pickup calendar allow users to learn how to recycle waste properly and become confident in their recycling knowledge.  

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