Purpose -The objective of this research is not only to provide a new theoretical framework to overcome doctrinal inconsistencies related to the reward recycling technique but also to empirically contrast the proposed explanations. Design/methodology/approach -This research follows a quasi-experimental design. This type of treatment comprises the application of a draw-based prize technique. A questionnaire was issued to gather the information from a sample with 123 individuals. The approach is quantitative. Findings -It was found that recycling behaviour has become a routine or habit with recognized awareness of ecology and recycling, but without a high level of involvement, since today's adoption process does not require such effort. This implies that the efficacy of the reward technique has been transformed and consequently its effects must be understood differently. To be specific, responders and non-responders are similar, in terms of their levels of beliefs about recycling, ecological concern and involvement with recycling, and both show the same model of adoption with a low hierarchy of effect and with a few minor differences. Nevertheless there is only one difference between sustainers and non-sustainers, namely, the sustainers' greater ecological concern before the promotion application.Research limitations/implications -The non-existence of a control group is a limitation with the result that the validity of the experiment is not being totally checked. Originality/value -This research provides some empirical evidence challenging some old presumptions concerning the understanding of recycling. Keywords Social marketing, Recycling, Promotion Paper type Research paper
IntroductionThe classic recycling behaviour theory proposes that before adopting the desired recycling conduct, a consumer will have processed a huge amount of information about both the deterioration of nature and about how to recycle. This so called high involvement model, or classic paradigm, assumes not only that consumers are active participants in the process of gathering information about ecology and recycling but also that the immediate consequence is that they form a favourable attitude toward recycling. The final result is the making of a high commitment decision to recycle as explained by the theories of multiple attributes and reasoned action (Kok and Siero, 1985;Goldenhar and Connell, 1993;Taylor and Todd, 1995;Kalafatis et al., 1999).However, this predominant paradigm recognizes the existence of an exception when explaining the recycling reward technique. In fact, one of the most accepted propositions of how consumers were thought to process information and react to recycling reward techniques was that those who respond show little interest in recycling (Katzev and Pardini, 1987;Vining and Ebreo, 1989;Wesley et al., 1995).