OGDEN -- Late one afternoon a couple of weeks ago, Kimberly Robinson walked up to a blue recycling bin parked on a curb outside a northeast Ogden home, carefully lifted the lid and peered inside.
Robinson, who was carrying a digital camera, expected to see tin cans, plastic containers and perhaps some cardboard.
However, she instead found inside the container a large broken fan, a radio and assorted household items, all of which can't be recycled.
"You would think that there would be some recyclables in there," said Robinson, who was surprised by the bin's contents.
Robinson photographed the items and interviewed the residents of the home, who told her the receptacle was being used to collect trash because they simply didn't understand how to recycle.
They're not alone.
A Weber State University study completed earlier this month by Robinson and three other students as part of an advanced econometrics course found a lack of knowledge - not desire - is the major obstacle preventing some Ogden residents from recycling properly.
In addition to Robinson, other students who participated in the project were Chance Kendall, Jeremy Ward and Dave Olson. The study was completed under the direction of Cliff Nowell, an economics professor.
The study examined the influences behind the accuracy of recycling in Ogden. Sixty residents were chosen at random for the study from four municipal ward voting districts.
While many studies nationwide have measured recycling participation, the survey completed by the Weber State students is unique because it looks at recycling accuracy, said Nowell, who hopes to share the project's results with city officials.
As part of the study that began in October, the students visited homes, photographed the contents of recycling bins and interviewed residents about their knowledge of recycling.
Those surveyed were also asked what part, if any, personal attitudes have played in their recycling behavior. The study also examined the level to which those surveyed understood how to use their recycling canister and where to find information about recycling in Ogden.
The students also looked at whether or not home ownership affected recycling behavior. Specifically, the study questioned whether residents who had invested in Ogden through homeownership recycled more accurately than other residents.
Using statistical analysis, the students found the only factor influencing the accuracy of recycling was how well residents understood the proper use of their containers.
"The more knowledge (people have about recycling) the more that canisters are used correctly," said Olson, summing up the study's findings.
Jay Lowder, the city's manager of public ways and parks, said he generally supports most of the study's conclusions regarding the impact of knowledge on recycling accuracy. "The more able they (residents) are to understand, the better they do it," he said.
The study determined that with residents who felt they understood how to recycle very well, 93 percent of their canisters would contain recyclable materials. When that knowledge decreased to the point at which residents felt they did not understand how to recycle, only 62 percent of their canisters would contain recyclables, the study found.
The cumulative effect of hundreds of residents inaccurately recycling 37 percent of their canisters' contents is costly in terms of labor, the study indicates.
"It would equate to nearly 26 tons of waste per week that should not be placed in the recycling containers," says the study. "This would mean that in a week, workers at the Weber County Transfer Station would have to sort and remove a pile of garbage equal to the weight of almost four male elephants."
It's encouraging that residents are willing to recycle and the only obstacle is just teaching them how to do it properly, said Olson. "It's a matter of educating," he said.
Information regarding acceptable recycling materials is buried on the city's Web site at www.ogdencity.com under the Public Services Department link or contained on fliers provided to residents when they first receive their recycling bins, said Ward.
Periodically, providing residents with written instructions in English and Spanish regarding proper recycling would be beneficial, said the four students. They also agreed it would be helpful to run recycling tips on city-operated Comcast Cable Channel 17.
The study found that even after six years of operating a recycling program, the city cannot assume residents have a basic understanding about procedures such as rinsing lids or when to put a canister out for collection.
As a result, any education program will have to be broad-based and shouldn't target renters or low income neighborhoods, because home- ownership, income and other demographics do not affect the accuracy of recycling, the study says.
Lowder said he has found that more people seem to recycle along the city's affluent East Bench than anywhere else in the city. The city promotes recycling through its newsletter and booths at the Weber County Fair, as well as public service announcements in the Standard-Examiner.
Lowder said the city has had success in increasing participation in its recycling program but still has work ahead.
"There is more we can do to try to improve the numbers," he said.
More information about the city's recycling program can be found at www.ogdencity.com/en/community/public_services/garbage_recycling_service...
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