Why are people collecting Litter Data?

In order to learn about our community, we conducted a survey to better understand the Litterati - the people who follow the company and use the app to collect litter data. Our goal was to discover what our community members hope to accomplish with the Litterati app. We uncovered some fascinating learnings about the dedicated people that come together to eradicate litter on this planet. Here, we’ll share some of the incredible findings from our behavioral science research and what it means for the future of litter eradication.

WHY LITTER DATA?

Litter is a worldwide problem that we all share and everyone has a unique role to play. Before you can actually fix something, though, you need to identify exactly what the problem is. Otherwise, you risk wasting time and money on a “fix” that falls short. 

A truly circular system recaptures "waste" as a resource to manufacture new products. Anytime resources leak out of the system and into the environment, their value is lost and our environment is harmed; like a plastic bottle lying on a beach.

By mapping and monitoring the world's litter, Litterati is identifying what is leaking out, and where, ensuring our partners can best prioritize where to invest their time and money, and help them measure improvement over time.

• Our community of 250,000+ people collects on-the-ground litter data in over 185 countries and countless municipalities. 

• Cities, NGOs, and brands reach out to create, access, and analyze Litterati’s comprehensive litter data that defines their litter fingerprint. 

• Clean planet advocates reach out to access and analyze Litterati’s litter data to gain insight on how to launch successful litter eradication strategies in their communities. 

Each group contributes its unique skill sets to the identification of upstream solutions that prevent litter from the start.

WHAT ARE LITTER DATA GOALS AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?

Knowing the types of litter data goals people aim for is helpful to anyone working to eradicate litter. Each person’s goal is their “WHY” that explains their commitment. Collecting compositional litter data is time-consuming and the people who do it have found reasons to keep going. Understanding their motivations helps Litterati identify opportunities to partner with our community to achieve our mutual goals.

SO WHAT DID WE FIND? 

Most people can go outside and clean up litter. Picking up litter and placing it in the proper waste/compost/recycling bin is a great way to take immediate action to better your community. BONUS: you get instant gratification by seeing the clean space you just liberated from litter! 

However, the Litterati community has a different endpoint in mind. They go outside and take the time to RECORD compositional litter data using the Litterati app. We wanted to know what these individuals hope litter data will accomplish. What do they see as the point of litter data collection? 648 people from 31 nations across the globe shared responses that centered on 5 main goals for collecting litter data:

• TRACK PROGRESS: 

  • People who mentioned this type of goal said they collect litter data for fun, personal learning/curiosity, or to track their contributions to organized litter cleanups.

• INSPIRE OTHERS: 

  • People who mentioned this type of goal said they collect litter data to help others clearly understand the litter problem and inspire them to join cleanup efforts.

• COMPEL CHANGE: 

  • People who mentioned this type of goal said they collect litter data as evidence to push for changes in policy, packaging, and waste infrastructure.

• VALUE DATA: 

  • People who mentioned this type of goal said they collect litter data to create a powerful, centralized database that can be deployed in multiple ways.

• SUPPORT OTHERS: 

  • People who mentioned this type of goal said they collect litter data to support the work of anyone who finds a good use for the information, usually by participating in cleanups.

• Bonus - NO GOAL:

  • This is not an actual goal, but it is important to note that some people use our app even though they do not yet have a solid connection to why they believe litter data matters.

AND WHAT WILL WE DO NEXT?

These findings are just the beginning! We plan to conduct follow-up research to answer lingering questions about litter data goals, such as:

• What app features or external resources best help people achieve their litter data goals?

• Long-term litter change can take time to occur - what keeps people motivated? 

• Which of the 5 identified litter data goals is the most or least common and why?

• Are there regional or national differences in goals and litter data usage?

Continue to observe and learn! The more we understand our community, the better we can fine-tune the app and other resources to boost everyone’s efforts to eradicate litter. We welcome anyone with questions about our behavioral science research process or interest in collaborations to reach out to Dr. Hallinger at natalie@Litterati.org.

MORE INFO

Our work to change behavior focuses on finding the individual’s goal, then boosting their ability to reach that goal. With this person-centered approach, we can apply ethical behavior optimization techniques that help individuals progress on their own path, instead of pushing them to focus only on our goals.

In the next post on Behavioral Science @ Litterati, we will share other insightful findings of our community, litter data, and human behavior.