A recent survey of Wisconsin residents revealed almost 97 percent participate in a household recycling program and 71 percent recycle because it helps to save the environment. Even better for the state, half of the 600 Wisconsin residents surveyed said they think people would be willing to pay a small annual amount to support recycling programs. If anyone tells you that people won't recycle if the government doesn't mandate it, they're wrong.
Recycling is so popular that homeowners are willing to pay for it.
Six hundred Wisconsin residents over 18 years old were questioned. Communities in Wisconsin were required to recycle until the temporary business tax that supported the program lapsed. State Republicans agreed to end required community recycling and allow communities to develop their own programs. The survey asked residents if they thought people would pay a small amount to continue community recycling if the state no longer paid a portion of the recycling costs and how much the residents would be willing to pay. Forty-four percent of the residents said they thought state law should continue requiring communities to recycle while half think the communities should be allowed to decide for itself if the state no longer pays a portion of individual community's recycling costs.