Sorting it Out: Waste Segregation in Urban India

Last registered on August 14, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Sorting it Out: Waste Segregation in Urban India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011841
Initial registration date
July 25, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 28, 2023, 2:01 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
August 14, 2023, 9:03 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
India
Region
Bihar

Primary Investigator

Name
Raisa Sherif
Affiliation
Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ahana Basistha
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Vishal Narayan
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Nishith Prakash
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-07-11
End date
2023-09-30
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Poor urban waste management has severe negative effects on health and economic outcomes. An effective approach to address this issue is the implementation of waste segregation at source, followed by adequate processing of the separated components. Co-opting households' participation in segregating waste is essential to the success of such systems. We conduct a randomized control trial among households in the Indian state of Bihar, to examine the effects of behavioural interventions on household waste segregation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Basistha, Ahana et al. 2023. "Sorting it Out: Waste Segregation in Urban India." AEA RCT Registry. August 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11841-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-07-11
Intervention End Date
2023-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Intention to segregate (self-reported): We measure this at the baseline and at the endline.
2. Segregation behaviour (observed): This will be observational data collected through the Patna Municipal Corporation.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
After the baseline survey is executed, we randomize the households into three conditions, each consisting of approximately 300 households. The three conditions are as follows: (i) Control, (ii) Messaging promoting civic duties through a 1-minute video, and (iii) Religious messaging through a similar 1-minute video. Additionally, treatment households will receive a customized calendar corresponding to their respective treatment condition. Throughout the study, we will measure household segregation across all treatments.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done on survey CTO.
Randomization Unit
Household
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
900 - 1000 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 households in control
300 households in civic messaging treatment
300 households in religious messaging treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
DAI Research & Advisory Services
IRB Approval Date
2022-11-11
IRB Approval Number
IRB00012768; FWA00030191; IORG0010769; OMB No. 0990-0278
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials