Quote:
Originally Posted by Love2Swim
When we go to Oregon, they recycle everywhere - at the restaurants, in the airport, every place you can imagine. And they have separate containers in the public areas for paper, plastic, cans, glass, etc. Over time people are trained and it becomes a habit. To rely on the voluntary actions of people is just pure foolishness. Its like the seatbelt law. You always had a lot of people that refused to wear seatbelt, until it became law and they could get a ticket. But people do need to be educated to recycle properly.
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That's the thing right there. Has nothing to do with safety (or in the case of recycling, ecology). It has to do with reinforcing behavior until that behavior becomes habit. People will refuse to do something they don't want to do - UNTIL there are consequences for refusing. Eventually they will comply. And if they don't, the municipality's revenue will be increased by the fines they have to pay for refusing, and offset the added cost of sortation.