Fostering and Reinforcing Sustainable Waste Management Behaviour through Social Marketing and Participatory Learning Schemes

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The UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP) assesses the current and potential sustainability of the UBC Food System by identifying barriers to its sustainable development. Our sub-scenario of the UBCFSP entailed looking at the lack of consumer awareness on campus regarding sustainable waste sorting and effective composting. Composting is vital to the health and sustainability of all food systems, as it ensures the continutity of nutrient cycling and promotes the health and ecological diversity of both the local and global environment. In order for UBC’s composting collection to expand futher, there is a dire need for an increase in composting awareness and a greater understanding of efficient waste sorting. We designed an event based on a participatory learning model that encompassed an interactive activity called “bin basketball”. We further included visual attractions, a sample food system display, a bin location poster and a sign up corner, all in hopes to foster and reinforce positive waste sorting behavior here on campus and beyond. Common waste sorting mistakes observed from bin basketball involved many contaminant materials such as chopsticks, milk cartons and sushi boxes which were often thrown incorrectly into the composting bin. Conclusively though most participants agreed that they had learned a lot about sustainable waste sorting through our interactive activity and visual display. This type of participatory learning was surveyed to be more effective at reinforcing sustainable composting behavior than the use of print materials (i.e: reading a pamphlet or a brochure), and the bin locations poster and sign up sheet assured a sense of continuity in the new behavior. We highly recommend that future collegeaus further improve and expand upon the existing participatory learning model to further educate the public about sustainable waste sorting. This interactive model could be held at many more outreach events such as Imagine UBC.