“Challenging Single-Use Plastic Behavior: A pilot Study” 

Hollie Minichiello, Juliette Hill, Heather Barnes Truelove, Ph.D., Erin Largo-Wight,

Ph.D. 

Abstract 

Introduction: United States boasts the highest per capita plastic waste generation globally, with

30 million tons of plastic produced per year, and continual increases each year (Mecking, 2021;

Rhodes, 2018; Reisser et al., 2013; O’Hara et al., 1988).  College students remain an important,

yet understudied, group that has the potential to drastically alter plastic consumption now and in

the future. The present study is part of a larger project focusing on reducing single use plastic

among college students and communities in two coastal locations - Eckerd College in St.

Petersburg and the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville – using behavioral theory

and a custom plastic reduction challenge app.  

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study is to test the behavioral survey and app that will be used

in the larger study.   

Methods: A pilot sample of 47 UNF students (78.7 % women), ranging from 18-38 years old,

used an app to record their use and refusals of plastic items during a week-long challenge to

reduce plastic consumption. After the Plastic Challenge App, they completed an online survey

assessing plastic use behavior and intentions, subjective norms (perceptions that others want

them to reduce plastic), attitudes (evaluations of plastic use), and perceived behavioral control
(beliefs that they can control their plastic use) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB;

Ajzen, 1985).  

Results: Participants reported the highest levels of refusal for plastic utensils and highest levels

of use for plastic bottles. Additionally, the plastic use reports from the app correlated strongly

with the self-reported plastic use from the survey providing evidence of convergent validity for

the app. The results of an exploratory regression indicated that the TPB model was significant in

predicting plastic use intentions, (F[4,42] = 3.73, p = .011). Though underpowered, this provides

initial evidence that subjective norms significantly affected participant’s intentions toward

single-use plastics (F[4,42] = 3.73, p = .011).  

Discussion: As expected, the TPB model predicted single use plastic behavior intentions and

recordings of plastic use in the app related to responses to the survey. This lends support for the

validity of the behavioral survey and fit for the behavioral model. Further analyses on larger

samples will further test the effect of the app on TPB constructs and plastic use behavior.