Influence of packaging design on littering behavior

Litter is an environmental and social problem that is closely related to packaging. Many attempts have been made to reduce litter. So far these attempts have mainly focused on influencing littering behavior either through general campaigns or through manipulating the environment. The latter might be done through strategic placement of prompts and litter bins and through cleaning up any previous litter. So far, little or no attention has been paid to the influence of the littered object itself. This paper proposes that the design of a packaging influences the changes of it being littered. Two empirical studied will be presented that support this proposition. Both studies were performed in a university cafeteria. The first study looks at placing anti-litter labels on packaging, comparable to health warnings on cigarettes. This study was performed using single-use coffee cups. The presence of the label reduced litter significantly. The second study looked at the influence of reclosability of soft-drink packaging. The study compared a PET bottle with a carton packaging with a tear-off closure. The PET bottle resulted in significantly less litter