Making your program work

The most effective litter prevention programs include a mix of approaches across the areas of education, enforcement, infrastructure, incentives and communications. The mix of these elements needs to be adapted for local conditions.

Littering research tells us that littering behaviours are complex: it's not simply a case of people littering or not littering and it's not just one group of people who are the culprits. People's littering behaviours are influenced by location, the item and whether they are alone or in groups. Research helps us to develop our programs.

Clean equals clean! Clean areas tend to stay clean; they look cared for and don't invite trashing. If you want to maintain a clean area you need to make it clean to start with and introduce the elements to educate and change behaviours to ensure it stays clean.

Another key to success is in the planning! Basing your program on what works and carefully planning the timing of each element increases the effectiveness. Monitoring & evaluation of programs leads to refinement and greater effectiveness.

Here's what you need to achieve best practice in litter prevention!

1. Research - understanding the problem

Having a good understanding of the litter problem is central to creating a successful program. Conducting research into the problem in your area, as well as research into existing knowledge about behaviours, impacts and programs, is critical.

2. Education - explaining the problem

Effective education remains our most powerful tool for achieving long-term change within the community. It provides an opportunity for changed motivations and changed internal control (i.e. I want to, I know how to and I know what the benefits will be).

3. Enforcement - reinforcing the message

Litter prevention programs must integrate consequences, or penalties, with education if they are to be successful because compliance is closely related to the likelihood 'I will be caught'.

It is important to inform people about the penalties as well as create a reasonable probability non-compliance will be detected. 

4. Infrastructure - the tools to change

Making it easy for people to 'do the right thing' by establishing physical or social infrastructure is key to long-term behaviour change.

Infrastructure can include appropriate bins, signage and bin-emptying schedules to help keep the area clean.

5. Incentives - persuading people to change their behaviour

Rewards, privileges and other incentives are a powerful way to encourage people to dispose of their waste appropriately and responsibly.

6. Working together - building community support

Working together, within all the relevant areas of council (or your organisation), and with the wider community, such as local businesses, is a critical part of litter prevention. Participation in the development, planning and implementation of programs builds ownership and commitment to making the program succeed.

7. Good communication - every step of the way

A strong communications plan publicising each phase of your program is important for building support in the community and securing the ongoing success of the program. Use existing communication tools to keep staff, your program partners and the broader community, updated with successes and setbacks.

8. Monitoring & evaluation - what have we achieved?

Establishing baseline data is part of the research that feeds into program development. Including monitoring of the program during and after its implementation is critical to measure the effectiveness of litter reduction, prevention and / or behaviour change. Ongoing monitoring measures the level at which the program's objectives have been sustained.

Principles for behaviour change

1. Clean = clean: prevention starts with clean
2. Accessibility: make it easy
3. Responsibility: I'm responsible regardless
4. Act on behaviour: use sanctions & rewards
5. Consistency: reduce confusion, create predictability
6. Involvement: aim to include everyone
7. Integration: strive to fit it together
8. Demonstrate commitment: walk the talk

These principles have been developed by Community Change Pty Ltd 

Community-Based Social Marketing 

Doug McKenzie-Mohr's theory of community-based social marketing provides a range of useful tools to use for behaviour change programs. For a summary, download a copy of his article on Fostering Sustainable Behaviour 

A quick summary of key points:

1. Identify barriers and benefits - internal & external; barriers tend to be activity specific so do your research
   Research - articles, reports, web search
   Qualitative research - focus groups, observational studies to determine attitudes and behaviours
   Survey - developed from information gathered from steps 1 and 2
2. Develop a strategy to remove the barriers or make the perceived benefits real.
3. Behaviour change tools:
   Community level
   Direct personal contact - research shows that people are most likely to change some behaviours in response to direct appeals or social support from others
   Eliciting a 'commitment' from people
   Developing community norms
   Prompts
4. Pilot - the program on a small sample to ensure it works; allow further refinement; could also try different methods to determine which is best, which is most cost-effective, and to demonstrate to a funding body that it works.
5. Evaluation - ongoing; direct measurement of behaviour change (compared with self-report or measures of increased awareness). Provides for further refinement of the program and also demonstrates the need for additional funding for an ongoing program.

The book includes a good section on survey development for amateurs.