The Effects of Litter on Littering Behavior in a Forest Environment

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that there are stimuli in the environment that can influence the amount of litter discarded in that environment. This experiment investigated the effects of litter already present within an area on littering behavior in a forest setting. The study was conducted for a period of four successive Fridays. The first and third Fridays were used to obtain an estimate of the amount of litter that accumulated after the areas were cleaned of litter (the nonlittered condition). During the second and fourth Fridays all litter was removed from the area, then 60 pieces of litter were scattered throughout the picnic site (the littered condition). The number of pieces of litter was counted each Saturday morning. The amount of litter found on Saturday mornings following a littered condition was always less than the amount of litter found following a nonlittered condition. In those areas which were littered, people had a tendency not to discard additional litter.