Recycling: A Policy Dilemma for American States?

In 1990, 38 states passed more than 140 recycling laws. What prompts the states to commit to recycling? In this article, various political, economic, and environmental variables are tested for their independent and group effect on states’ recycling commitment. A composite measure of recycling commitment is developed by combining several political and economic attributes. The results indicate that in comparison to the commonly used economic, political, and demographic variables, a new set of variables measuring policy image are more promising.