Education, Exposure or Signaling: Single-Use Plastic Solution Guide

The research outlines an implementation guide for organizations, government and policy makers to take action to curb plastic pollution problems. Oftentimes getting started is the hardest challenge. The following paper synthesizes single-use plastic solutions to five categories: (1) Business Resources (2) Public Policy Resources (3) Non-Profit Resources (4) Education Resources and (5) Personal Resources. A survey of (N=307) consumers compares participants across the US on their sustainable green values, level of contamination disgust and perception of single-use plastic. The results found that the consumer\u27s proximity to the ocean has the strongest impact of the single-use plastic waste perception. Consumers\u27 green values and perceptions of contamination are significant however higher for those outside coastal regions. The study results heighten the need for single-use plastic waste education across the United States. The results provide a tiered solution approach for implementation on single-use plastic changes within their own communities of influence. Future research on the effects of mere exposure and signaling is needed to strengthen the study conclusions