New research from the UGA Terry College of Business department of marketing found that people are less likely to recycle lightweight 鈥� flimsy 鈥� waste. In some cases, lightweight packaging was 92% more likely to end up in a landfill than its beefy counterparts.
鈥淭hings that are lightweight 鈥� if they feel flimsy, if they feel low quality 鈥� there鈥檚 an assumption that they don鈥檛 have value,鈥� said Sarah Whitley, assistant professor of marketing and co-author of the waste study. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a feeling of, 鈥業 don鈥檛 really feel bad about whatever this thing is. It鈥檚 OK to toss it. It feels like trash; it is trash.鈥欌��
Lead author Lyndsay Loomer worked in brand marketing for a beverage manufacturer in Texas before earning her doctorate from Terry and joining the faculty as a marketing lecturer. She remembers when her firm introduced lightweight 鈥渃rinkly鈥� bottles to reduce plastic use in the late 2010s.