Most of us are aware of the strain our waste puts on the environment and our health. And what is more, most of us care about it. So, we recycle. But we don’t recycle as much as we think. Studies show that there is almost always a discrepancy between self-reports and observed behaviors of recycling (a few references below). We recycle less than we think. Period. Confirmation bias perhaps? We notice the times we recycle but (unwillingly?) ignore the times we don’t?
This brief observation can also be found in the following nice graphic, focused on plastic recycling, brought to my attention by Allison Morris.
Please Include Attribution to OnlineEducation.net With This Graphic 
Here’s a slide show, by professor P.W. Schultz, that shows what might work to stimulate recycling behavior. No great surprises, really: make it convenient, apply social pressure and set goals.
(Suggestion: turn it into a game? Beat your own high score, compete with friends and family, earn rewards,… Anyway, just a thought…)
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Barker, K., Fong, L., Grossman, S., Quin, C., & Reid, R. (1994). Comparison of Self-Reported Recycling Attitudes and Behaviors with Actual Behavior Psychological Reports, 75 (1), 571-577 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.1.571
Chao, Y., & Lam, S. (2009). Measuring Responsible Environmental Behavior: Self-Reported and Other-Reported Measures and Their Differences in Testing a Behavioral Model Environment and Behavior, 43 (1), 53-71 DOI: 10.1177/0013916509350849
Corral-Verdugo, V. (1997). Dual ‘Realities’ of Conservation Behavior: Self-Reports vs Observations of Re-use and Recycling Behavior Journal of Environmental Psychology, 17 (2), 135-145 DOI: 10.1006/jevp.1997.0048
Plastic materials are especially problematic, as different kinds of plastic material require different handling processes to be reformulated and re-used as raw material. Some cities take all kinds of plastic material for recycle, while others only take bottles and containers with certain numbers printed on their soles.