Litter pollution is a complex issue. Often, people contact our office asking for litter prevention signage in hopes of a quick solution to their community’s litter issues. Unfortunately, there’s little actual evidence to suggest that signage changes much, at least in the long run. Most litter campaigns decrease littering by 10-30% for a few months, and then things return to previous rates. This occurs for two reasons:

• People typically don’t respond well to signage.
• In our opinion, litter isn’t only a people problem. It’s a structural problem. Insecure dumpsters and trashcans, insufficiently serviced localities and business-related pollution all contribute to this problem.

For this reason, we’re not big proponents for signage, at least not as a cure-all.

Nonetheless, some signage is better than no signage, and some signs are better than other signs. At its core, preventing litter is the practice of changing human behavior. The science shows that telling people not to litter is not nearly as effective as telling people not to be litterbugs (because people feel worse when you identify littering as part of their identity). The science goes further to say that by far the most effective way to change behaviors is to be positive and to use messaging like “80% of people pick up litter if they walk by it.” This is called social norming. Despite our skepticism about signage, we’re currently developing this kind of signage for Fairfax County use. Until then, if you really wish to start a litter campaign in your neighborhood, we recommend using Alice Ferguson Foundation’s signage, which follows many (though not all) of the ideas mentioned above.

If signage isn’t the solution, what is? You’ll be annoyed to learn that the answer is that it depends. It depends! Your community is unique, and the solutions to its issues will be just as unique. Email us so we can help you with this. Some examples:

• Local park — CFC spent time in the park and determined that the main source of litter was via overflowing trashcans. Park trashcans were not being serviced often enough. We spoke with park staff, and they increased trash pickup, which decreased the litter.
• Local creek — Creek often experienced litter pollution during stormwater events. CFC determined that the bulk of trash was coming from a few commercial dumpsters. Maintenance workers often kept lids open 24/7, allowing trash to seep out. Animals had easy access. Property management then crafted a policy to ensure that lids remained closed. Litter decreased!
• Local school — School playground was often littered. Teacher started an environmental club, and CF supplied cleanup supplies and some educational programming. The cleanups were necessary at first, but after a while, other students started to learn about environmental stewardship and cleanups were no longer needed!