Skip to main content

[]

Intended for healthcare professionals
Skip to main content
Restricted access
Research article
First published online March 7, 2017

Littering Reduction: A Systematic Review of Research 1995–2015

Abstract

Littering continues to be a problem worldwide. The purpose of this article is to update earlier systematic reviews on littering and using a scorecard of seven social marketing components, assess the extent of social marketing use in identified littering programs. Following Center for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines, the search included all peer-reviewed studies published between 1995 and 2015 in the English language available through 10 databases. A total of 1,220 articles were initially identified and resulted in a final set of 17 that met the study criteria. The analysis revealed key insights including a lack of social marketing use in litter prevention efforts to date providing an opportunity for future research. Limitations of the current study and opportunities for future research are outlined.

Get full access to this article

View all access and purchase options for this article.

References

Abu-Hilal A. H., Al-Najjar T. (2004). Litter pollution on the Jordanian shores of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). Marine Environmental Research, 58, 39–63. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2003.12.003
Al-Khatib I. A. (2009). Children’s perceptions and behavior with respect to glass littering in developing countries: A case study in Palestine’s Nablus district. Waste Management, 29, 1434–1437. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.08.026
Al-Khatib I. A., Arafat H. A., Daoud R., Shwahneh H. (2009). Enhanced solid waste management by understanding the effects of gender, income, marital status, and religious convictions on attitudes and practices related to street littering in Nablus–Palestinian territory. Waste Management, 29, 449–455. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2008.02.004
Andreasen A. R. (2002). Marketing social marketing in the social change marketplace. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 21, 3–13. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.21.1.3.17602
Bates C. H. (2010). Use of social marketing concepts to evaluate ocean sustainability campaigns. Social Marketing Quarterly, 16, 71–96. doi:10.1080/15245000903528357
Bateson M., Callow L., Holmes J. R., Roche M. L. R., Nettle D. (2013). Do images of ‘watching eyes’ induce behaviour that is more pro-social or more normative? A field experiment on littering. PLoS One, 8, e82055. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082055
Brown T. J., Ham S. H., Hughes M. (2010). Picking up litter: An application of theory-based communication to influence tourist behaviour in protected areas. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18, 879–900. doi:10.1080/09669581003721281
Carins J. E., Rundle-Thiele S. R. (2014). Eating for the better: A social marketing review (2000–2012). Public Health Nutrition, 17, 1628–1639. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980013001365
Chitotombe J. W. (2014). Interrogating factors associated with littering along road servitudes on Zimbabwean highways. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 3, 181–193. doi:10.5296/emsd.v3i1.5023
Cialdini R. B., Reno R. R., Kallgren C. A. (1990). A focus theory of normative conduct: Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1015. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.6.1015
Daniels M. L., Marion J. L. (2005). Communicating leave no trace ethics and practices: Efficacy of two-day trainer courses. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 23, 1–19.
de Kort Y. A., McCalley L. T., Midden C. J. (2008). Persuasive trash cans activation of littering norms by design. Environment and Behavior, 40, 870–891. doi:10.1177/0013916507311035
de Lange M. A., Debets L. W., Ruitenburg K., Holland R. W. (2012). Making less of a mess: Scent exposure as a tool for behavioral change. Social Influence, 7, 90–97. doi:10.1080/15534510.2012.659509
Dietrich T., Rundle-Thiele S., Kubackia K. (2017). Segmentation in social marketing: Methods and approaches. Singapore: Springer.
Dietrich T., Rundle-Thiele S., Schuster L., Drennan J., Russell-Bennett R., Leo C.…Connor J. P. (2015). Differential segmentation responses to an alcohol social marketing program. Addictive Behaviors, 49, 68–77. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.05.010
Donovan R., Henley N. (2010). Principles and practice of social marketing: An international perspective. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Dwyer W. O., Leeming F. C., Cobern M. K., Porter B. E., Jackson J. M. (1993). Critical review of behavioral interventions to preserve the environment research since 1980. Environment and Behavior, 25, 275–321. doi:10.1177/0013916593255001
Ernest-Jones M., Nettle D., Bateson M. (2011). Effects of eye images on everyday cooperative behavior: A field experiment. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32, 172–178. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.10.006
French J., Blair-Stevens C. (2005). The big pocket guide to using social marketing for behaviour change. London, England: The National Social Marketing Centre. Retrieved February 21, 2015, fromwww.thensmc.com/sites/default/files/Big_pocket_guide_2011.pdf
French J., Blair-Stevens C. (2006). Social marketing national benchmark criteria. London, England: The National Social Marketing Centre.
French J. (2017). The importance of segmentation in social marketing strategy. In Segmentation in Social Marketing (pp. 25–40). Singapore: Springer.
Glanz K., Bishop D. B. (2010). The role of behavioral science theory in development and implementation of public health interventions. Annual Review of Public Health, 31, 399–418. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103604
Gordon R., McDermott L., Stead M., Angus K. (2006). The effectiveness of social marketing interventions for health improvement: What’s the evidence?Public Health, 120, 1133–1139. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2006.10.008
Hansmann R., Scholz R. W. (2003). A two-step informational strategy for reducing littering behavior in a cinema. Environment and Behavior, 35, 752–762. doi:10.1177/0013916503254755
Hartley B. L., Thompson R. C., Pahl S. (2015). Marine litter education boosts children’s understanding and self-reported actions. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 90, 209–217. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.10.049
Hoppe T., Bressers H., de Bruijn T., Franco-Garcia L. (2013). Street litter reduction programs in the Netherlands: Reflections on the implementation of the Dutch litter reduction program for 2007–2009. Lessons from a public private partnership in environmental policy. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 12, 1657–1668.
Huffman K. T., Grossnickle W. F., Cope J. G., Huffman K. P. (1995). Litter reduction a review and integration of the literature. Environment and Behavior, 27, 153–183. doi:10.1177/0013916595272003
Joseph A., Choi Y.-S., Quan X. (2015). Impact of the physical environment of residential health, care, and support facilities (RHCSF) on staff and residents a systematic review of the literature. Environment and Behavior, 1–39. doi:10.1177/0013916515597027
Kallgren C. A., Reno R. R., Cialdini R. B. (2000). A focus theory of normative conduct: When norms do and do not affect behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1002–1012. doi:10.1177/01461672002610009
Khawaja F. S., Shah A. (2013). Determinants of littering: An experimental analysis. The Pakistan Development Review, 52, 157–168.
Kubacki K., Rundle-Thiele S., Lahtinen V., Parkinson J. (2015). A systematic review assessing the extent of social marketing principle use in interventions targeting children (2000-2014). Young Consumers, 16, 141–158.
Kubacki K., Rundle-Thiele S., Pang B., Carins J., Parkinson J., Fujihira H., Ronto R. (2017). An umbrella review of the use of segmentation in social marketing interventions. In Dietrich T., Kubacki K., Rundle-Thiele S. (Eds.), Segmentation in social marketing (pp. 9–23). Singapore: Springer.
Lindemann-Matthies P., Bönigk I., Benkowitz D. (2012). Can’t see the wood for the litter: Evaluation of litter behavior modification in a forest. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 11, 108–116. doi:10.1080/1533015X.2012.751294
Liu J., Sibley C. (2004). Attitudes and behavior in social space: Public good interventions based on shared representations and environmental influences. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24, 373–384. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2003.12.003
Ma J., Hipel K. W. (2016). Exploring social dimensions of municipal solid waste management around the globe—A systematic literature review. Waste Management. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2016.06.041
Ong I. B. L., Sovacool B. K. (2012). A comparative study of littering and waste in Singapore and Japan. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 61, 35–42. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.12.008
Pace R., Pluye P., Bartlett G., Macaulay A. C., Salsberg J., Jagosh J., Seller R. (2012). Testing the reliability and efficiency of the pilot Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) for systematic mixed studies review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49, 47–53. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.07.002
Parkinson J., Schuster L., Russell-Bennett R. (2016). Insights into the complexity of behaviours: the MOAB framework. Journal of Social Marketing, 6, 412–427. doi:10.1108/JSOCM-10-2015-0071
Reams M. A., Geaghan J. P., Gendron R. C. (1996). The link between recycling and litter a field study. Environment and Behavior, 28, 92–110. doi:10.1177/0013916596281005
Rice R. E., Atkin C. K. (2000). Public communication campaigns (Vol. 3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Schultz P. W., Bator R. J., Large L. B., Bruni C. M., Tabanico J. J. (2013). Littering in context: Personal and environmental predictors of littering behavior. Environment and Behavior, 45, 35–59. doi:10.1177/0013916511412179
Sibley C. G., Liu J. H. (2003). Differentiating active and passive littering a two-stage process model of littering behavior in public spaces. Environment and Behavior, 35, 415–433. doi:10.1177/0013916503035003006
Spacek S. (2004). DO MESS WITH IT!: A sociopolitical study of littering and the role of southern and nearby statesApplied Research Projects, Texas State University-San Marcos. Retrieved fromhttp://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/27/
Stead M., Gordon R., Angus K., McDermott L. (2007). A systematic review of social marketing effectiveness. Health Education, 107, 126–191. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1108/09654280710731548
Stephen H., James M. (2014). Changing audience behaviour: Festival goers and throwaway tents. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5, 247–262. doi:10.1108/IJEFM-11-2013-0031
Sussman R., Gifford R. (2013). Be the change you want to see modeling food composting in public places. Environment and Behavior, 45, 323–343. doi:10.1177/0013916511431274
Tacconelli E. (2010). Systematic reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 10, 226. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70065-7
Takahashi B. (2009). Social marketing for the environment: An assessment of theory and practice. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 8, 135–145. doi:10.1080/15330150903135889
Tapp A., Rundle-Thiele S. (2016). Social marketing and multidisciplinary behaviour change. In Spotswood F. (Ed.), Beyond behaviour change: Key issues, interdisciplinary approaches and future directions (p. 135). Bristol, CT: Policy Press.
Taylor A., Curnow R., Fletcher T., Lewis J. (2007). Education campaigns to reduce stormwater pollution in commercial areas: Do they work?Journal of Environmental Management, 84, 323–335. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.06.002
Truong V. D. (2014). Social marketing a systematic review of research 1998–2012. Social Marketing Quarterly, 20, 15–34. doi:10.1177/1524500413517666
Uneputty P., Evans S., Suyoso E. (1998). The effectiveness of a community education programme in reducing litter pollution on shores of Ambon Bay (eastern Indonesia). Journal of Biological Education, 32, 143–147. doi:10.1080/00219266.1998.9655611
Wever R., Van Onselen L., Silvester S., Boks C. (2010). Influence of packaging design on littering and waste behaviour. Packaging Technology and Science, 23, 239–252. doi:10.1002/pts.892
Williams B. C., Plouffe C. R. (2007). Assessing the evolution of sales knowledge: A 20-year content analysis. Industrial Marketing Management, 36, 408–419. doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2005.11.003

Biographies

Yara Almosa is a social marketer who focuses on marketing orientation in organisations and environmental behaviours including littering. Yara has worked with national and international social marketing projects to change behaviors. Email: [email protected]
Joy Parkinson is a social marketing expert who has worked in industry and universities across Australia. Joy focuses on decision-making, consumer behavior, social media and behavior change. She has worked on a variety of health and social marketing projects to change behaviors in contexts including healthy eating, physical activity, and breastfeeding. Joy has published in scholarly journals including Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Consumer Studies and Journal of Services Marketing. Email: [email protected]
Sharyn Rundle-Thiele is an internationally renowned marketing expert who bridges academia with practice. Sharyn has been with Griffith University since 2009 and she leads Social Marketing @ Griffith. Sharyn’s research focuses on behavior change and she currently serves as an advisor on a diverse range of social marketing projects. Her current projects include changing adolescent attitudes towards drinking alcohol (see http://gameon.rcs.griffith.edu.au/) and increasing healthy eating and physical activity to combat obesity. Sharyn has managed both large and small qualitative and quantitative studies including formative research to gain consumer and stakeholder insights, segmentation studies, customer loyalty choice modelling and behavioral change. Sharyn has published over 100-refereed papers, reports and she co-authors Australia’s market leading Marketing Principles textbook. Email: [email protected]

Cite article

Cite article

Cite article

OR

Download to reference manager

If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice

Share options

Share

Share this article

Share with email
Email Article Link
Share on social media

Share access to this article

Sharing links are not relevant where the article is open access and not available if you do not have a subscription.

For more information view the Sage Journals article sharing page.

Information, rights and permissions

Information

Published In

Article first published online: March 7, 2017
Issue published: September 2017

Keywords

  1. social marketing
  2. systematic literature review
  3. littering
  4. behavior change
  5. intervention

Rights and permissions

© The Author(s) 2017.
Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Yara Almosa
Social Marketing, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
Joy Parkinson
Social Marketing, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
Sharyn Rundle-Thiele
Social Marketing, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia

Notes

Yara Almosa, Social Marketing, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia. Email: [email protected]

Metrics and citations

Metrics

Journals metrics

This article was published in Social Marketing Quarterly.

View All Journal Metrics

Article usage*

Total views and downloads: 5430

*Article usage tracking started in December 2016


Articles citing this one

Receive email alerts when this article is cited

Web of Science: 27 view articles Opens in new tab

Crossref: 45

  1. Playing to win: enhancing programme success through more frequent use of competitive analysis
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  2. Nature posters enhance subjective but not objective cleanness in public housing: Evidence from a field experiment
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  3. A comprehensive model of the theory of planned behavior in explaining tourists’ littering behavior in a natural tourism destination
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  4. Do biodegradable plastics increase public acceptance of littering?
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  5. Tourists’ Littering Behavior and Feeling of Guilt: Implications for Sustainable Coastal Destination Management
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  6. Plastic Waste Management
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  7. Using an extended model of the reasoned action approach to explore individual behavioral intentions regarding litter and plastic pollution prevention in a developing country
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  8. Littering Prevention in Ghana: The Mediating and Moderating Effect of Awareness of Consequence with the Theory of Value-Belief-Norm
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  9. Residents’ waste management practices in a developing country: A social practice theory analysis
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  10. Sometimes Littering Is Acceptable—Understanding and Addressing Littering Perceptions in Natural Settings
    Go to citationCrossrefGoogle Scholar
  11. View More

Figures and tables

Figures & Media

Tables

View Options

Access options

If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:

AASM, ESMA, iSMA, and SMANA members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.




AASM, ESMA, iSMA, and SMANA members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.





Alternatively, view purchase options below:

Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.

Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.

View options

PDF/EPUB

View PDF/EPUB

Full Text

View Full Text