Jul 8, 2009

Behavioral Economics in Durham

When I came home last night, I found in my lawn a mega-sized shiny blue recycling cart with the attached note:

After experiencing a dramatic 50 percent increase in the amount of materials collected for recycling when we piloted this program [replacing small rectangular recycling bins with large rolling carts] in several Durham neighborhoods, the Department of Solid Waste Management felt this program would benefit the entire city -- especially since the recycling participation rate also increased from 40 percent to 70 percent!

Has Dan Ariely gotten his paws into local government?