Challenging Single-Use Plastic Behavior: A

Pilot Study
Hollie Minichiello, Juliette Hill, Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D., Amy Siuda,
Jesse Sherry, Shannon Gowans, Kelly Debure, & Heather Barnes
Truelove, Ph.D.
Single-Use Plastics

Photo courtesy of Carey, R. (n.d.) Plastic pollution in ocean

[Photograph]. Shutterstock
Theory of
Planned
Behavior

Adapted from Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior.

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211.
Pilot Study

Purpose: To test the behavioral survey and validate the

Reduce single-use app that will be used in larger study.
Method

● 47 participants
● Reported weekly single-use plastic usage
- Plastic Challenge App
● Online survey - measuring TPB constructs
Surveys

● TPB constructs
- Plastic consumption
- Plastic knowledge
● Plastic use intentions
● Subjective norms

Photo courtesy of Willott, L. (2016). 20 stats that will change the

way you survey your customers [Illustration]. Mycustomer.
 ● Participants were asked to download the
Reduce Single-Use app and record their
single-use plastic consumption throughout
the week.
- Straws
- Take out containers
Plastic Challenge App - Wrappers
- Cups
- Lids
- Bags
- Utensils
- Bottles
Results
 Discussion
TPB model predicted single-use
plastic behavior intentions and
recordings of plastic use in the
app related to responses to the
survey

● Support validity of the

behavioral survey and fit for
the behavioral model

Photo courtesy of Photka. (n.d.). Disposable single use plastic objects such as bottles, cups, forks, spoons
and drinking straws that cause pollution of the environment, especially oceans. Top view on sand
[Photograph]. Shutterstock.
 ● Additional waves of data
● Test effectiveness of single-use plastic
reduction initiatives on University
campus
- TPB constructs
Future Directions - Plastic use behavior
- Plastic Challenge App
● Analyses on larger samples to test the
effect of the app
- TPB constructs
- Plastic use behavior
Questions?
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