My block's recycling went from overflowing to empty after the city changed one rule

I live on 14th Street in Portland, and for like 2 years our recycling bins were always stuffed to the brim every pickup day. People just threw everything in there, plastic bags, greasy pizza boxes, the works. Then last March the city switched to those smaller 20-gallon bins and added a $5 fine for putting trash in the recycling. At first I thought it was a cash grab and everyone would ignore it. But man, the difference is wild. Within 3 months the bins went from overflowing to maybe half full, and now the stuff inside is actually clean and sorted. I asked my neighbor about it and she said the smaller bin made her think twice before tossing stuff, plus the fine scared her. It got me wondering, is this just a Portland thing or do other cities see this kind of change when they make recycling harder or more punished? Has anyone else watched their local recycling habits shift after a rule change? I'm curious if making it less convenient actually works long term or if people just get used to it and go back to old habits.

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