Educating People to Recycle as a Measure to Reduce Waste

The process of recycling starts with a thought, a decision, and an action. As we see piles of garbage building all around us, there arises a need to embed such thoughts into the minds of people in a manner most effective. An education program that aims at motivating people to recycle explains, informs, motivates, and encourages the people to recycle. In an age where nobody is concerned of the degrading environment, such an education is required to bring about a behavioral change. Education can create a culture wherein the benefits of recycling are understood and methods of the same are made clear.

The best way to educate people to recycle waste is to make the whole educational process interesting. As the famous saying goes “good results come with a carrot, not with a stick”. A positive motivation tends to get a better response. The method of motivation, however, needs to be kept as simple as possible and people need to be taught the importance of recycling in addition to the provision of incentives for following the same at homes and workplaces. The first places to educate are schools and workplaces. From the very beginning itself, children must be taught and motivated to recycle. Placing recycling bins in the office and telling the staff not to throw those items in recycle bins which cannot be recycled is also a part of the educational process.

An approach of educating people and ensuring compliance is to take disciplinary actions for defaults. However, this method may not be as effective since they may breed resentment. In addition, methods like placing recycle bins at strategic locations like kitchen exists or individual desks at offices can also help motivating people to recycle. The whole educational process should not be cumbersome so that people do not find it difficult to comply with.

Advantages

· Educating people on the subject brings them into the streamline

· Maximum participation is ensured.

· Providing rewards etc. attract more people to the cause.

· Education yields better results than punitive actions.

· In course of time recycling habit is formed.

Disadvantages

· Not everyone likes being educated.

· A lot of innovation is required to ensure engagement.

· An inordinate publicity may also lead to premature recycling and underuse.

· Repeated underuse may result in the creation of a heavy demand; thus the industries may produce more clutter.