Outreach increases tailgating recycling

Outreach increases tailgating recycling

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

University researchers have found a simple way to overcome the behavior of tailgaters who might be more inclined to toss their refuse than recycle it.

Researchers at the University of Memphis health and sports sciences department began a project in 2009 to see if they could change the recycling habits of tailgaters at a spot frequented for pre-game revelry outside of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, where it was common to put all refuse in a trash bag, reports The Commercial Appeal [1]. Researchers initially put out recycling receptacles, but those made little difference.

A more effective approach, they found, was to send out students and student athletes wearing shirts that read "We can talk trash" to engage tailgaters. This approach paid off with the amount of recyclables increasing from 0.13 pounds of recyclables per person to 0.45.

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