Survey Says: Holiday Shoppers Want More Recycling Options

Fiber-based packaging manufacturer DS Smith recently completed a survey that showed how consumers feel about recycling during the holidays.

The survey revealed that consumers are "committed" to recycling packages. However, when recycling bins are full, they are less likely to continue throwing recyclable materials where they need to go.

Keith Tornes, DS Smith managing director, Paper, Forestry and Recycling North America, explained: “It’s clear there is real appetite among consumers to recycle but any recycling system needs to be fit for purpose – e-commerce has grown, and now we need to see investment in domestic recycling systems grow to match it."

As the amount of waste doubles during the holidays and bins overflow, it becomes more difficult to conscious throw away items in correct bins. Seventy percent of respondents admitted their recycling bins are "mostly full" during holiday collection time.

The survey of 1,000 respondents showed that because of this, 20 percent of survey takers throw extra recyclable material into the regular trash, and 40 percent admit throwing it into a neighbor's bin.

"The findings underscore the pressure on consumers, local governments responsible for trash collection and product suppliers to follow practices that encourage recycling, help reduce waste and keep materials in use for as long as possible," DS Smith stated.

The pandemic caused a surge in online shopping. Two-thirds of survey takers indicated they had increased their e-commerce spending, leading to more packaging waste.

Respondents showed more concern with the waste they are generating.

"Signaling growing awareness of the importance of sustainability, more than 40 percent say they are recycling more today than two years ago, and 80 percent say the sustainability of packaging matters to them," DS Smith stated.

With the increased appetite for recycling, almost 60 percent of those polled say their recycling bins need to be bigger to fit their needs. About 40 percent said they are running out of room in their recycling bin at least every two weeks.

The survey was conducted using an online data collection methodology with the research firm Torfac.