One example of a recycling reward initiative is Greenredeem's 'reverse vending machine'.

Services company Serco has appointed Eunomia Research & Consulting to investigate the impacts and potential benefits of recycling incentives in the hope of ‘helping local authorities maximise the effectiveness of their recycling services’.

The research forms part of a public-private partnership between Serco and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), who will also be undertaking their own research.

It is hoped that the partnership will widen the scope of the work, whilst avoiding ‘unhelpful’ and ‘costly’ duplication.

Two stand-alone reports and a joint summary report, will be released in ‘autumn’ of this year.

Project details

According to Serco, the collaborative approach will provide ‘better value for money as well as allowing each organisation to make a more significant contribution to the national debate about how best to encourage positive waste behaviours through reward and recognition schemes’.

Eunomia will focus their research on non-Defra funded schemes, drawing on examples of more established schemes in the UK and abroad as well as alternative methods and models for achieving behavioural change.

For Defra, the research will look at the effects of the work local authorities and community groups have done under Defra’s recycling incentive programmes such as the Household Reward and Recognition Scheme that rewards households for positive recycling practices.

‘Excellent opportunity’

Commenting on the joint approach, Robin Davies, Direct Services Business Development Director of Serco, said: “Serco are making this important investment to gather real evidence about what works and to help local government make more informed decisions in relation to investment in recognition and reward schemes.

“Defra have focused on supporting and evaluating the schemes which they are funding. That opens up an opportunity for us to look, in a comparable way, at the performance of the more established schemes operating across the UK and abroad which don’t have Defra funding.

“We’re delighted that Defra is taking part in this coordinated approach and are pleased to be able to positively contribute to this important industry debate.”

James Fulford, Director of Eunomia, added: “We’ve thought carefully about how this joint approach should work. Joining forces with Defra provides an excellent opportunity to broaden the scope of the research to consider a wide range of schemes.

“Eunomia hopes to draw experience from different types of schemes, particularly from those overseas. The joint approach in sharing of findings and lessons learned between the organisations will significantly enhance the research, rather than if each of the organisations were working in isolation.”

Read more about recycling incentives.