Getting to less than 50 pieces

litter-study

Nov 16

In this iteration, I expect to replicate Block 6 results:

steep decline in litter from Day 1 to Day 2
maintain low litter levels

Since I’ve been working to establish an anti-littering norm around this block, I wonder: Will litter levels drop below 50 pieces within the first week?

day 2

On my evening walk with my pup on the first day of the daily condition, the QT cup is already littered in the street.

By the next morning, the QT cup is crushed and in the gutter. I pick up this and 96 more pieces of trash, 59 of which are cigarette butts.

That’s almost 61% of the total litter. I am now paying more attention to the ratio of cigarette butts to total litter. 🧐

*Cigarette butts make up around 61% of the total litter around the block on Day 2.*

day 3

I blitz around the block with a friend who is in town for the weekend. It might not have been their preferred activity upon landing, but I have data to collect! 🤓

We pick up 46 pieces in 18 minutes.

I reach my goal of less than 50 pieces around the block within the first week! Getting to this point in three days is faster than I thought; especially with my observations of the micro-norms around the block.

*Block 1 trash mixed with Block 6 trash - whoops. Cigarettes are about 1/3 of total trash.*

day 4

Today I bring my dog along whose slow, sniffing pace is perfect for scanning the sidewalk cracks for cigarette butts and closely searching for litter.

I thought we might have gone too fast yesterday, but picking up 52 pieces in 27 minutes reassures me that the litter level appears to have decreased to around the 50-piece range.

*Cigarette butts make up about half the amount of litter on Day 4, at 48%.*

day 5

I see an increase in trash on Sunday. I wonder if the trash levels are higher after Saturday nights.

data

I see the steep decline between Day 1 (234) and Day 2 (97). I am also seeing litter levels holding at less than 100 pieces which feels like an unlittered block.

*Litter levels from Days 1-5 around Block 1.*

On average, over the last four days, cigarette butts make up about 46% of total litter found around this block.

I want to put out a sand bucket at one of the properties where I tend to collect a lot of butts. Will it be used?