A study of litter prevention at a shopping mall

Abstract

This study examined the effect of trash-receptacle availability on littering behavior in a naturalistic setting, namely a shopping mall. The procedure employed was an ABAB design, with (A) a baseline period, (B) an intervention period, (A) a second baseline period, and (B) a second intervention period. During the intervention periods, receptacles for empty cans and bottles were placed next to every trash receptacle that had been in place. The arrangement had a highly significant effect on littering behavior. For the first intervention period, a 22% reduction in litter was obtained, and it was reduced 34% for the second period. It seems that receptacles themselves were a powerful cue to induce people to deposit their litter. Conditions for findings of applied behavior analysis to generalize to more realistic every-day situations were also discussed.