“If we can’t ban the materials sometimes we’ll put a charge on it,” she said. “We might ban a plastic bag and put a charge on using a single-use paper bag, because we’re sending signals to the producers and to the users, to the consumers, that there’s an easy, convenient, right way to do things.”
To encourage behavior change, San Francisco initially set trash collection rates much higher than recycling and composting rates. While rates are more comparable now, residential bin sizes provide a behavioral nudge. Standard residential services include a 64-gallon blue recycling bin, a 32-gallon green composting bin, and 16-gallon black trash bin.
Businesses are also charged according to the volume of waste they present. They receive discounts for using the green and blue bins, and are penalized if recyclables or compostables end up in the trash.
Another key to San Francisco’s success is its exclusive partnership with waste management company Recology. Raphael said that working with one company eases the administrative burden and makes it possible to collaborate on long-term goals.
New York, by comparison, has a private system for commercial waste, comprised of hundreds of competing waste collection companies. This makes it challenging for the local government to collaborate on citywide initiatives.
