What motivates household waste separation? A MOA-based information experiment in the United States

Last registered on May 18, 2026

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

What motivates household waste separation? A MOA-based information experiment in the United States

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0018616

Initial registration date

May 12, 2026

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

May 18, 2026, 4:21 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Eva Pawelczyk

Affiliation

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Rodolfo Nayga

PI Affiliation

PI Name

Ramona Weinrich

PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2026-05-26

End date

2026-06-11

Keywords

Agriculture, Behavior

Additional Keywords

household waste separation, recycling behavior, Motivation Opportunity Ability Framework, MOA framework, information intervention, framing effect, social norms, environmental self-identity, pro-environmental behavior, randomized controlled trial, United States

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Household waste separation remains a key challenge for improving recycling systems in the United States. While many individuals report positive attitudes toward recycling, actual waste sorting behavior and motivation vary substantially across households. This study investigates which psychosocial and contextual factors are associated with motivation to separate household waste and whether informational interventions can increase such motivation.

Using a randomized controlled online survey experiment with U.S. adults, participants are randomly assigned to one of several information conditions or a control group. The study is theoretically informed by the Motivation–Opportunity–Ability (MOA) framework and examines how factors such as motivation, abilities, and selected psychosocial characteristics relate to waste separation motivation. The study further evaluates whether information-based interventions differentially influence motivation across individuals.

Findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of household waste separation behavior and inform future communication strategies and policy interventions aimed at improving recycling participation.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Nayga, Rodolfo, Eva Pawelczyk and Ramona Weinrich. 2026. "What motivates household waste separation? A MOA-based information experiment in the United States." AEA RCT Registry. May 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18616-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Participants are randomly assigned to one of multiple experimental conditions or a control condition within an online survey experiment. Depending on assignment, participants are exposed to different information-based messages related to household waste separation. The intervention is designed to examine whether distinct informational approaches influence motivation for household waste separation. A control group receives no intervention-related information. Following exposure, participants complete measures related to waste separation motivation, psychosocial characteristics, and contextual factors.

Intervention Start Date

2026-05-26

Intervention End Date

2026-06-11

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The primary outcome variable is participants’ motivation to separate household waste. Motivation is measured using a multi-item Likert scale assessing willingness, effort, and intention to properly sort household waste. The study evaluates whether exposure to different information conditions influences reported motivation for household waste separation.
Secondary Outcomes:
ability
(control variable) opportunity
Social norms
Personal Moral norms
Environmental self-identity

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

This study employs a randomized controlled online survey experiment with adult participants in the United States. Participants are randomly assigned to one of multiple information conditions or a control group. The intervention is administered within the survey prior to the measurement of outcome variables.

The study is informed by the Motivation–Opportunity–Ability (MOA) framework and examines factors associated with household waste separation motivation. Following random assignment, participants complete measures related to waste separation motivation, psychosocial characteristics, and contextual variables relevant to household waste separation.

Randomization occurs at the individual level. The study is designed to compare differences between experimental conditions and assess associations between informational interventions and key outcome variables.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Participants are randomly assigned to experimental conditions through automated computer-based randomization within the online survey platform. Random assignment occurs at the individual level, ensuring equal probability of allocation across study conditions.

Randomization Unit

Randomization occurs at the individual participant level. Each participant is independently assigned to one of the experimental conditions or the control condition through automated computer-based randomization.

Was the treatment clustered?