Institutionalizing the Recycling Movement: The Structuring of Dialogue in the Solid Waste Field

Curbside recycling programs grew fivefold betweeen 1988 and 1995, yet recycling as practical activity is contested on both ecological and economic criteria. This paper develops arguments at the intersection of organizational and social movements analysis to develop understanding of how broader social processes enable the diffusion of ecologically sustainable practices. Through historical analysis of key actors and systematic tracking of expert discourse changes, we provide evidence of how recycling advocacy and the solid waste field co-evolved. We argue that the proliferation of curbside recycling programs and practices in the United States was influenced by contention and change in the solid waste field, the formalization of recycling advocacy into a social movement organization, and the social legitimation of recycling as a solid waste model. We discuss the implications of these findings for public policy formation.