It’s Still Littering

Behaviour change intervention reduces littering by an average of 20% and up to 57% in some locations.  

Overview & Objective:  

One in four people admit to ‘careful littering’, the act of placing rubbish on a surface and leaving it behind. To build on this insight, the Centre for Social Innovation trialled an intervention directly addressing this behaviour. The intervention consisted of exhibiting the message that leaving behind rubbish is still littering, at locations in which it occurs. A series of posters and floor vinyls were installed by benches, picnic areas, ledges and window sills. The aim was to change littering behaviour and raise awareness of the issue of careful littering.  

Approach  

To test the effectiveness of this behaviour change intervention, Keep Britain Tidy partnered with four local authorities; Spelthorne Borough Council, Camden Council, Stevenage Borough Council and South Lakeland District Council. The pilot ran for eight weeks, including four weeks of litter and bin monitoring, followed by four weeks of monitoring whilst the intervention was in place. Each local authority selected three hotspot sites for the intervention to be installed, where careful littering occurs. Floor vinyls were placed around seating areas, benches and bus stops and posters were placed on lampposts and fences. Perception surveys were then conducted with members of the public at each location in order to understand people’s attitudes and perceptions of the intervention. 

Outcome 

The results were extremely positive and demonstrate how the intervention achieved its aims in changing littering behaviour and raising awareness of the issue of careful littering.  

• Littering reduced by an average of 20%, and up to 57% at some locations including in play parks, playing fields, a city and town centre gardens and seating areas 

• Almost two thirds (63%) of respondents said it is likely that the intervention will prevent them from conducting careful littering in the future 

• Almost half (48%) of people surveyed said the intervention made them realise there are some things they have done in the past that would be classed as careful littering 

• 85% of respondents said the intervention makes them want to keep the area tidy 

• 1 in 4 people thought there was less litter in the area as a result of the pilot 

 Quotes 

“We got a lot of positive feedback from residents and passers-by on high street when the stickers went down. People were saying they are a great idea and it got people talking.” 

 

 

“We really like the floor sticker approach and would like to install these in other locations. We would install this intervention in other high street shopping areas and a skate park as well”. 

See more case studies