Across all materials, a common reason given for why something should be recycled was that the material was useful. For example, "because you can make lots of things with glass." Many students interpreted the question as being about the benefits of recycling over not having any particular material, rather than about the benefits of recycling as opposed to producing new materials. There also appeared to be some confusion between recycling and reusing.

• For all materials, reasons given for recycling included conservation of natural resources, waste reduction and general statements such as "it's good for the environment". A common benefit of recycling was seen as reduction of harm caused by litter to people and animals.
• For glass, by far the most common reason given for recycling was to prevent glass being left around and people getting hurt. This response was much less common for other materials although a common response for plastic was reduction of harm to animals, especially sea animals. Some students also mentioned burning of plastic as causing air pollution.
• Paper was the only material where conservation of resources was a very commonly given reason for recycling. More than one third of the responses related to saving trees. Some students also explained how trees played an important role in the environment although there was some confusion around their exact role.
• The most commonly chosen materials to discuss were paper, plastic, and glass.