Anti-littering in developing countries: Motivating the people of Jordan

Abstract

Littering in developing countries remains a problem that has not been overcome, and past research based on a trial-and-error approach has not solved the problem. In this study, a questionnaire was constructed and distributed to the people of Jordan. People were asked to indicate what motivates them to use the litter bins. The motivators were divided into intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators. The responses to the questionnaire were statistically analysed according to the score for each motivator and the responders’ attributes. The highest level intrinsic motivators were the ‘sense of morals and ethics’ and ‘following the way they were raised’. The highest impact of extrinsic motivators was the presence of children followed by increasing number of receptacles, being in a clean place and the presence of recycling programmes. Studying the respondents’ attributes showed there are differences in people’s responses to intrinsic motivators according to socio-demographical factors, while for extrinsic motivators these factors tend to diminish and people react almost the same. The results of this study can explain some of the differences in reported results in the literature on littering behaviour according to socio-demographic factors. To have an effective anti-littering approach in Jordan, the authorities should consider using a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. In the intrinsic motivators, the authorities should praise and remind people of their core values, morals and their children’s behaviour and future. For the extrinsic motivators, the following descending order is suggested: convenient infrastructure, recycling programmes, anti-littering campaigns, rewards, penalties.