Nudging People to Keep Cities Clean

Philadelphia looked at how interventions can change recycling and littering behavior.

1 minute read

January 8, 2019, 1:00 PM PST

By Camille Fink


Trash Can

Lyn Lomasi / Wikimedia Commons

Nandi O'Connor of GovLabPHL discusses two experiments the city of Philadelphia conducted to better understand how behavioral science could be used to increase recycling and decrease littering.

The first experiment targeted recycling behavior. While the city makes containers available to residents at designated locations, it provided lidded recycling bins to residents on routes in two neighborhoods in this case. The effect was inconclusive in one neighborhood, but recycling volumes increased in the other.

The other intervention involved increasing or decreasing the number of trash receptacles in various parks and along corridors in the city. Overall, the findings showed that increasing the number of trash containers resulted in city staff spending 30 minutes less per day picking up litter.

"We learned that existing data collection procedures are not always created for the purposes of evaluation, and the results have inspired us to improve data collection procedures for future experiments," says O'Connor. She also notes that the results will inform policy decisions as the city works to reach its zero-waste goals.

Friday, December 21, 2018 in Apolitical

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Canadian flag in foreground with blurred Canadian Parliament building in background in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Has President Trump Met His Match?

Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

March 11, 2025 - Toronto Star

Aerial view of Honolulu, Hawaii coastline at dusk.

Honolulu's Iwilei Center Plans for Redevelopment Into Mixed-Use Space

Striving to expand affordable housing options for Oahu residents, Honolulu's Department of Land Management requests to redevelop the Iwilei Center into a mixed-use space.

March 12 - Spectrum News

Orange Biketown bike share bikes parked at station on sidewalk in Portland, Oregon,

Biketown Lives

Despite public perception of its decline, Portland’s bike share system is alive and well.

March 12 - Willamette Week

Quiet tree-lined street in Stockholm, Sweden in summer.

‘Stockholm Tree Pit’ Saves Dying Urban Trees

After noticing that two-thirds of its trees were dying, Stockholm developed a new planting method to protect trees surrounded by concrete.

March 12 - Reasons to Be Cheerful