The initiative, launched in partnership with environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), will see students receive a 20p reward for every eligible item recycled. The incentive can be redeemed in the college’s canteens across the Motherwell, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld campuses.
The study builds on a previous campaign run with the University of Strathclyde, which tested different interventions to encourage recycling. That pilot gathered insights from more than 200 students, finding that half believed a financial incentive would increase their likelihood of recycling.
At New College Lanarkshire, the new scheme aims to assess how personal financial incentives influence recycling behaviour and whether they increase the overall volume of items collected through RVMs. In addition, three student households will document their experiences with the Deposit Return Scheme over a two-week period, offering further insights into recycling habits.
Jo Padwick, Senior Sustainability Manager at CCEP GB, said the project would provide valuable evidence as Scotland prepares to roll out its Deposit Return Scheme: “Giving students the chance to live with a Deposit Return Scheme – something that will soon be a part of everyday life – will allow us to see first-hand how people interact with RVMs in reality. Hearing directly from students over four weeks will give us honest, human insight into both the practical and behavioural barriers to adoption, as well as what really motivates them to take part.”
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, added: “We’re really looking forward to the launch of this exciting new study and hope to see a significant increase in the use of Reverse Vending Machines on the college campuses. Being on the ground listening to students and capturing their thoughts on messaging, campaign design, ease of use and the power of incentivisation will enable us to build stronger data to ensure that the incoming Deposit Return Scheme works for everyone.”
New College Lanarkshire Deputy Principal Ronnie Gilmour said the college was proud to support the project. “We know that living in a clean and sustainable environment is very important to our students. I’m sure the data gathered through the scheme will make an important contribution to understanding behaviour around recycling.”