RECYCLING

SIGNS
Sonia He
River Hill High School

OVERVIEW
1. Research Question
2.Experimental Design
3.Survey Game
4.Results
5.Conclusions

RESEARCH QUESTION

vs.

Handmade

Machine-made

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Behavioral Study
Clarksville MS: Handmade
FQMS: Machine-made
Measured
Weight of recycling
Recycling rate

Survey
Distributed to only CMS students

FOLLY QUARTER MS

Before

After

CLARKSVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Before

After

DATA COLLECTION
Weight of recycling
Waste diversion rate
(sum of recycling + sum of compost)/
(sum of recycling+ sum of compost+
sum of trash)

COLLECTING DATA

Results

Baseline
Intervention

Average Weight of Recycling (lbs)

WASTE DIVERSION RATE

Before

66.4%
After

t(4)= 10.7, p<.001

74.7%

SIGN
COMPARISON

Real objects (Sign A)

vs.
Pictures of objects (Sign B)

Favor Sign A

Neutral

Favor Sign B

Capturing and holding

your attention?

Attractiveness?

Telling you which items you

should recycle?

Is easier to read?

Shows the artists

passion for recycling?

Overall design that is better for its

purpose: to encourage recycling?

COMMENTS

HANDMADE
showed passion and interest
really grabs my attention
and never lets go
easier to understand

HANDMADE
pretty interesting how
they are real objects
more fun and learn-able
from

MACHINE-MADE
clearly made by a company
because they dont care about the
environment they only care about
a profit
seems like Howard County
made those signs, just because.

CONCLUSION
Students are slightly more
responsive to handmade
recycling signs than machinemade recycling signs.

CONCLUSION
Hypothesis was supported by
survey and CMS waste diversion
rate.
Hypothesis was NOT
supported by recycling weight.

ERRORS
Different baseline
Recycling rate
Passionate teacher
Waste bin arrangement in cafeteria

Collected data at different times for

each school

DUMPSTER DIVING

THANK YOU!

QUESTIONS?