Lottery-style bottle return system could boost recycling rates: UBC researcher

Would you rather have 10 cents or a chance to win $1,000? If you picked the second option, you’re not alone, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

The recycling return rate for beverage containers in B.C. is just 58 per cent, but a new UBC psychology study shows that a lottery-style bottle return system, offering chances at big cash prizes instead of a 10-cent refund, would bring those rates up.

“People prefer the smaller chance to win $1,000 over the guaranteed 10 cents back, because it’s more fun,” said Dr. Jiaying Zhao, associate professor in the department of psychology and senior author of the study.

“It’s like a lottery. Each bottle is like a lottery ticket to win $1,000.”

Offering a one-in-10,000 chance of winning $1,000 costs the exact same as giving out a dime for every bottle, but researchers found it would make people recycle nearly 50 per cent more bottles.

“It comes down to, still, 10 cents per bottle, but the smaller chance to win $1,000 is just way more exciting. It gives people the thrill, thinking they have a shot at a large prize,” explained Zhao.

Out of 300 people involved in the study, no one won the $1,000.

“But regardless of not winning the jackpot, they didn’t feel worse off. Like, they didn’t feel less happy as a result,” said Zhao.

Return-It, the non-profit behind B.C.’s bottle-return program, says only around 58 per cent of bottles in Metro Vancouver are returned.

Cindy Coutts, Return-It President and CEO, says the company will be meeting with Zhao soon to discuss the prospects of the lottery system.

“The more that we understand consumers and what drives them, the more successful we will be, and I think Return-It is always willing to sit down and look at the most modern research and what we can learn from it to improve the program in B.C.,” said Coutts.

If implemented, the study authors say the lottery should be optional so that people who rely on returning bottles can still make a predictable income while making it worth more for people who don’t normally make returns.