The Problem of Plastic Waste in China

Due to rapid economic growth in China, citizens are getting more and more used to littering plastic waste on the street, causing huge damages to the environment, and it is time to make some positive social change to curb this behavior. The individuals who litter on the street can have some social beliefs and expectations that are associated with their behavior. They are hypothesized to be lazier, to be more inclined to litter when they observe others litter, and to hold the belief that littering is a social good that can provide lower-income people with financial resources and job opportunities. littering behavior is diagnosed to be a social norm, custom, and descriptive norm in different circumstances. To diagnose this behavior further, I propose a one-month interview and survey with questions that cover all the components that would be necessary to measure from a social norm perspective. To intervene on this behavior, the possible policies that could work are economic incentives, economic punishments, public education, and public shaming