The power of a bad example: A field experiment in household garbage disposal

Studies have shown that people litter more in more littered environments. Inspired by these findings, many cities have adopted policies to quickly remove litter. However, such policies may also invite free riding on public cleaning services. Researchers at the Erasmus University and the Tilburg University in the Netherlands show that both forces are at play. They conducted a natural field experiment where the frequency of cleaning was drastically reduced. They found evidence that some people start to clean up after themselves when public cleaning services are diminished. However, the tendency to litter more dominates. An article about the research is published in Environment and Behavior.
Click here for an abstract of the article.
Click here for a Tilburg University article about the research (in Dutch).

This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update. If you have any questions, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411.