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Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1993 Summer;26(2):247–253. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1993.26-247

Increasing recycling in office environments: The effects of specific, informative cues

John Austin 1, David B Hatfield 1, Angelica C Grindle 1, Jon S Bailey 1
PMCID: PMC1297743  PMID: 16795793

Abstract

We investigated the effects of prompts on the recycling behavior of approximately 217 faculty, staff, and graduate students in two academic departments of a large university. During the intervention, two signs were posted in each department. One sign prompted recycling (posted above the recycling receptacle), and the other sign prompted proper disposal of trash (posted above the trash receptacle). Results of a multiple baseline design across the two departments indicated that the sign prompt increased recycling behavior. Installation of the sign prompts in close proximity to receptacles in Department A resulted in a 54% improvement over baseline. Posting of sign prompts over containers 4 m apart in Department B resulted in a 17% improvement, whereas positioning the signs and receptacles in close proximity resulted in a 29% improvement over baseline.

Keywords: recycling, paper recycling, prompts

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Jacobs H. E., Bailey J. S., Crews J. I. Development and analysis of a community-based resource recovery program. J Appl Behav Anal. 1984 Summer;17(2):127–145. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1984.17-127. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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