Preventing Littering: It's Not All about Sticks!

Littering is an important issue in the public policy domain and contributes significantly to environmental problems. Identifying and understanding the factors that influence littering behavior is therefore critical for designing effective interventions for reducing littering. Littering is not only a concern for Western-developed societies, but also for developing societies such as the Middle East. This research examined individual littering behaviors using the Motivation, Opportunity, Ability and Behavior (MOAB) framework. This study provides actionable insights for public sector marketers to assist in reducing littering behavior. A total of 25 qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted, drawing on a purposeful sample of adults aged 20-40 years from Saudi Arabia. Findings revealed that at the individual level a lack of knowledge influences littering behavior. Contextually, social norms and the built environment were also found to influence littering behavior. Implementing a combination of individual and contextual level strategies will assist public sector marketers and policymakers to achieve reduced littering in public spaces.