Waste Sorting Behavior Among Students: Testing the Effects of Visual Prompts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58706/ijorce.v3n1.p38-47Keywords:
Visual Prompts, Waste-sorting Behavior, Secondary School StudentsAbstract
Garbage has various categories so it needs to be sorted to make it easier to sort according to its benefits. However, waste sorting is very difficult to implement for some people including in the school environment. Therefore, the objective of this study was to test the effects of visual prompt on waste sorting behavior among students in selected secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria. Quasi-experimental design was adopted while visual prompt was manipulated at three levels of word, picture and word+ picture to obtain data on waste sorting behavior among 240participants. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to test one hypothesis which was accepted at p <.001 level of significance. The result demonstrated that picture was the most effective visual prompt that improved waste sorting behavior followed by word + picture prompt and then word prompt compared to the control group. The study concluded that visual prompt improved waste sorting behavior. The novelty of this study is that it is the first time effects of visual prompt on waste sorting behavior is studied using quasi-experimental design in Nigerian schools. The study recommended that school authority and other stakeholders’ interested in solid waste management should design appropriate visual prompts to encourage waste sorting activities in their school environments.
References
Adeniran, A.E., Nubi, A.T., & Adelopo, A.O. (2017). Solid waste management generation and characterization in the University of Lagos for sustainable waste management. Waste Management, 67, 3-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.05.002.
Aikowe, L. & Mazancová, J. (2021). Plastic waste sorting intentions among university students. Sustainability, 13(14), 7526. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/SU13147526.
Austin J., Hatfield, D.B., Grindle, A.C., & Bailey, J.S. (1993). Increasing recycling in office environments, the effects of specific, informative cues. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 26(2), 246-253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1993.26-247.
Baca-Motes, K., Brown, A., Gneezy, A., Keenan, E.A., & Nelson, L.D. (2013). Commitment and behavior change: Evidence from the field. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(5), 1070–1084. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/667226.
Deng, Y.Q. & Zhang, F. (2019). Effects of visual prompts on recycling of waste batteries. Psychology, 10(12), 1565-1571. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2019.1012102.
Fogg, B.J. (2003). Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do. Netherland: Elsevier, Inc. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-55860-643-2.X5000-8.
Gifford, R. (2011). The dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American Psychologist, 66(4), 290–302. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023566.
He, Y.M. & Wang, R.N. (2019). The Effectiveness of visual prompts on clothing recycling behaviours. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 390-395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.74031.
Kim, D., Wang, J., Kim, M., Zhou, S., & Tham, W.K. (2017). Visual prompts for sorting waste: Specificity of contents. Students Research Report. Columbia: University of British Columbia.
Knickmeyer, D. (2020). Social factors influencing household waste separation: A literature review on good practices to improve the recycling performance of urban areas. Journal of Cleaner Production, 245, 118605. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclpro.2019.118605.
Leeabai, N., Areeprasert, C., Siripaiboon, C., Khaobang, C., Congsomjit, D., & Takahashi, F. (2022). The effects of compost bin design on design preference, waste collection performance, and waste segregation behaviours for public participation. Waste Management, 143, 35-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/wasman.2022.02.018.
Mayer, R.E. (2009). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mutang, J.A. & Haron, S.A. (2012). Factors predicting recycling behaviour among Malaysian. Southeast Asia Psychology Journal, 1(1), 68-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51200/sapj.v1i1.5729.
Odufuwa, K.T., Otuyemi, K.M., Fagbohunka, B.S., Ezima, E.N., Faponle, A.S., &Itakorode, B.O. (2024). Isolation, characterisation and biodegradability tests of cellulase from bacterium obtained from the soil of agro dumpsite. Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology, 41(1), 55-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/njb.v41i1.6.
Ojedokun, O. & Balogun, S.K. (2012). Psycho-sociocultural analysis of attitude towards littering in a Nigerian urban city. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies & Management, 4(1), 68-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ejesm.v4i1.9.
Paivio, A. (2006). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Redford, K.H., & Adams, W.M. (2009). Payments for ecosystem services and the challenge of saving nature. Conservation Biology, 23(4), 785-787. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01271.x.
Rousta, K., Zisen, l., & Hellwig, C. (2020). Household waste sorting participation in developing countries: A meta-analysis. Recycling, 5(1), 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling5010006.
Samaranayake, D.I.J. & Thennakoon, R.S. (2021). Could behavioural nudges improve the accuracy of waste sorting? An experimental survey. Environment and Pollution, 10(1), 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ep.v10n1p1.
Shearer, L., Gatesleben, B., Morse, S., Smyth, M., & Hunt, S. (2017). A problem unstuck? Evaluating the effectiveness of sticker prompts for encouraging household food waste recycling behaviour. Waste Management, 60, 164-172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.09.036.
Shirleen, D. & Kho, K. (2023). Improvement on waste segregation behaviour by verbal and visual prompt in Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences. Indonesian Journal of Life Sciences, 5(1), 52-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54250/ijls.v5i01.171.
Solekah, N.A. & Jumriyah, J. (2023). Strengthening environmentally friendly behaviour through waste sorting and recycling programs. Engagement: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 7(2), 449-468. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29062/engagement.v7i2.1515.
Varotto, A. & Spagnolli, A. (2017). Psychological strategies to promote household recycling. A systematic review with meta-analysis of validated field intervention. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51, 168-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.03.011.
Yang, Y.H. (2020). Integrating community-based social marketing theory to improve waste sorting behaviour at the University of Waterloo. Master Thesis. Ontario, Canada: University of Waterloo. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10012/15559.
Yuan, H., Liu, M., & Fan, Z. (2024). Exploring the social impacts and sustainable development of urban waste sorting: A case study of Shanghai’s waste management system. Innovation in Science & Technology, 13(1), 32-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56397/ist.2024.01.05.
Zhang, S., Hu, D., Lin, T., Li, W., Zhao, R., Yang, H., Pei, Y., & Jiang, L. (2021). Determinants affecting residents’ waste classification intention and behavior: A study based on TPB and A-B-C methodology. Journal of Environmental Management, 290, 112591. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112591.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Emmanuel Etim Uye, Peter Olamakinde Olapegba
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
