LITTERING BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS BASED ON SURVEY AND QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT LITTERING IN THE NAGASE RIVER

Abstract

The present study aims at understanding the quantities and types of litter in and along theNagase River, and analyzes littering behavior using a questionnaire. Plastic bags, including shopping bagsand confectionery wrappers, were the most frequently observed items in the Nagase River. Cigarette-relatedlitter (e.g. cigarette butts and packaging) and drink bottles (e.g. PET bottles, beverage cans) were the mostfrequently observed types of litter on the streets along the Nagase River. The questionnaires completed bypassers-by and students in the schools and a university near the Nagase River were analyzed (N=731). Therate of those who actually littered in the Nagase River and the streets along the river was 14%, and the mainkinds of litters were confectionary wrappers, cigarette-related, PET and glass bottles, cans, and plastic bags.The questionnaire results were subjected to covariance structure analysis to determine factors contributing tolittering behavior. The results show that, social norms are the most important factor influencing the act oflittering, and awareness of the anti-social nature of littering in daily life is strongly related.