Winning. There's no feeling like it. You love it, everyone does. And if you've ever used a penny to scratch one of those dollar scratch-offs, you know how amazing it feels when that third symbol magically appears.
Even if you only win another dollar, it still feels fantastic! Recently, some researchers combined glass bottle recycling with a lottery system, and the results have been interesting to say the least, according to a summary published on Phys.org.
A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia tried a twist on the usual bottle deposit: instead of a flat 10-cent refund, they offered a lottery entry. Same cost. Different psychology. And it worked. According to Dr. Jiaying Zhao, the senior author of the study published in Waste Management, "This small change in how we reward recycling made a big difference."
They saw a 47% jump in bottle returns. Not bad for a simple tweak.
The research team tested this out in British Columbia and Alberta, which both already have deposit-refund systems.
In the first two trials, people picked between the usual refund or a chance to win $1, $10, $100, or even $1,000. Odds weren't great, but people still went for it. In the third trial, participants were randomly assigned. And those in the lottery group returned almost three bottles for every two from the other group.
It wasn't all about money either. People genuinely seemed to enjoy it. That hint of maybe-winning lit up their mood. Researchers call that feeling "anticipatory happiness."
Norway's been running a similar system for years. Their return rate? Close to perfect. Nearly every bottle gets recycled. Their setup includes reverse vending machines that give users the same two choices: cash or a chance to win big. The team at UBC thinks those machines would work well in Canada, too.
Here's the kicker. This wouldn't cost cities more. The average payout stays the same. So it's not about spending extra—it's about spending smarter.
That said, not everyone's a gambler. Some people count on that 10 cents. So researchers suggest keeping both options. Choice matters.
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Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
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Giving me money back 💰 If Canada rolls this out nationwide, the environmental payoff could be huge. We're talking about pollution cuts similar to taking a million cars off the road every year.
"We hope Canada can adopt this innovative idea as well," Zhao said.
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