RECYCLING IN BOSTON

Understanding Boston's recycling habits.

Boston has recycling infrastructure, but participation and contamination rates suggest the system isn't working as intended. To understand why residents struggle to recycle correctly and what barriers prevent effective participation, we investigated their knowledge, behaviors, information sources, and challenges.

AFFILIATES

Experience Design MS Program, College of Arts, Media & Design, Northeastern University

PROJECT TEAM

Jane Effanga, Joyce Yixuan Zhong, Keira Huang, Victoria Chen

YEAR

FALL 2022

MY ROLE

Research design, data collection, synthesis and insight articulation

RESEARCH GOAL

To investigate Boston residents' knowledge of and engagement with the city's recycling system.

Key Questions

Are residents familiar with Boston's system? Do they know what's recyclable? How do they practice recycling at home? Where do they get information, and what challenges do they face?

APPROACH & METHODOLOGY

We combined quantitative methods (survey and gamification) to measure knowledge and patterns across a larger sample, with qualitative methods (interviews, observations, probing) to explore the underlying reasons, motivations, and contextual factors shaping recycling behaviors.

Data Collection Strategy

Survey: Measured familiarity with Boston's system, knowledge of recyclable materials, and information sources
Gamification: Kahoot quiz tested residents' ability to correctly classify recyclable items in real-time
Interviews: Explored recycling routines, challenges, and decision-making processes
Observations: Documented recycling infrastructure and behaviors in apartment buildings and houses
Probing: Collected open-ended responses about motivations and barriers to recycling

Analysis

To synthesize insights across all data sources, we coded interviews to identify recurring patterns, used affinity mapping to cluster themes, and created personas and journey maps to translate findings into actionable user insights.

KEY FINDINGS

1. Most residents lack confidence in their recycling knowledge.

86% of survey respondents reported being either unfamiliar or slightly familiar with Boston's recycling system. Interview participants frequently said "I just guess" or "I do what I did in [previous city]." Even among those who claimed familiarity, the gamification exercise revealed significant knowledge gaps.

2. Information is fragmented and inconsistent.

Residents piece together recycling knowledge from online searches, apartment buildings, personal assumptions, and friends—but these sources often conflict. Generic recycling advice doesn't match Boston's specific rules, and packaging symbols don't align with local systems. Without an authoritative source, residents are left guessing what's actually recyclable.

"I looked it up online but every website says something different."
— Interview participant

3. Structural barriers make incorrect disposal the default.

In some apartment buildings observed, trash chutes were conveniently located on every floor while recycling requires a trip to the basement or garage. In houses, residents use city-provided bins but lack clarity on preparation requirements like rinsing or label removal. Even motivated residents face friction that makes incorrect disposal the path of least resistance.

4. Knowledge doesn't equal behavior.

The gamification exercise revealed that residents can identify obvious recyclables like bottles and cardboard, but struggle with edge cases like greasy pizza boxes or plastic bags. Without feedback mechanisms, mistakes go uncorrected and become ingrained habits. Interview participants admitted they "just guess" when uncertain, and none had ever received confirmation whether they were recycling correctly—creating a cycle where incorrect behaviors persist.

"I try my best, but I have no idea if I'm doing it right. There's no way to know."
— Interview participant

THE RECYCLING JOURNEY

Identifying opportunities for intervention

To understand how these barriers play out in real life, we mapped a typical recycling journey. Jason represents a common pattern we observed: residents who recycle "obvious" items but resort to guessing on unclear cases. The journey reveals where interventions would be most effective.

IMPLICATIONS

Designing effective interventions.

Our research revealed that the problem isn't just education—it's systemic. To address the barriers residents face, interventions must focus on three critical areas:

Provide guidance at decision points.

Information must be available when residents are deciding what's recyclable—Boston-specific, quickly accessible, and not buried on websites or requiring long reading.

Create feedback loops.

Residents have no way to know if they're recycling correctly. The system needs mechanisms to confirm correct behavior and surface mistakes before they become ingrained habits.

Reduce structural friction.

When recycling requires more effort than trash disposal, convenience becomes a barrier. Infrastructure should make recycling as effortless as throwing away trash.

REFLECTION & LEARNINGS

Different methods reveal different things. Quantitative methods show patterns at scale. Qualitative methods explain why those patterns exist. Observing behavior in context reveals friction that self-reported data misses.

Problems are rarely simple. Surface symptoms often point to deeper systemic issues. Effective research looks beyond the obvious to understand root causes.

Synthesis creates insight. Individual data points are just data. Patterns and connections across sources become actionable insights.

What I'd do differently...

Observe environments before designing interview questions. Test proposed solutions with users, not just identify problems. Include stakeholders beyond end users to understand systemic constraints.