There is something we have always done at our house for as long as I can remember.
My mom ensures that we save old newspapers, bottles, plastic bags, etc and that they are sold to the “raddi-wala” (it is a nice article, read it) at the end of each month. The total cash is then given directly to the maid/cook/house-help.
This does two major things:
1) The amount from this isn’t anything much for us, but it helps the people who work for us as a mini-bonus each month.
2) Because they know they will directly benefit from all the recyclable stuff, it is in their best interest to make the extra effort and separate the plastic, glass and paper and ensure it is properly sent to the raddi-wala. Simple incentivising.
I am sure many of us in India can share similar stories. Just goes to show, sometimes, what works in the west doesn’t work here. And what works here, may not make any sense there. But the goal is the same.