Wasteful packaging: do consumers care?

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The number of consumers who think they should be responsible for recycling has declined, according to a study released Wednesday. In 2010, 38% of Americans said consumers should take responsibility for recycling product packaging, down from 42% in 2009.

Consumers are also less willing to pay for environmentally friendly packaging even though most shoppers polled say manufacturers should produce more of it, according to the study ‘Packaging and the Environment,’ conducted by the New Jersey marketing firm Perception Research Services.

Although the percentage of consumers interested in buying products made from recycled materials has increased, from 39% in 2009 to 48% last year, just 17% of consumers say they check a package to see if it could be recycled before buying a product. One-third of respondents say they do not recycle any packaging at all.

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-- Susan Carpenter