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Smoke on the beach: a field experiment to reduce cigarette littering

Last registered on June 02, 2018
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Smoke on the beach: a field experiment to reduce cigarette littering
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002964
Initial registration date
May 27, 2018

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
June 02, 2018, 6:32 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Italy
Region
Emilia-Romagna

Primary Investigator

Name
Mariangela Zoli
Affiliation
University of Rome Tor Vergata
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Gionata Castaldi
PI Affiliation
Italian Ministry of the Environment
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Grazia Cecere
PI Affiliation
Télécom École de Management, Paris, France
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2015-06-22
End date
2015-08-10
Keywords
Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
butt litter; social norm; behavioral intervention
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Policy makers are largely using behavioral interventions to improve education, health, security and sustainable behavior. This article uses behavioral intervention to evaluate the impact of two interventions aimed at reducing smokers’ littering. We ran a field experiment at eight beach resorts in the north east of Italy. Resorts were randomly assigned to three groups: in the first, we introduced portable ashtrays to test whether smokers respond to the lower effort costs (time plus inconvenience) by disposing of litter properly. In the second set, we added a request not to litter. The third group of resorts was used as a control with no intervention. The results suggest that both treatments significantly affect littering, leading to a reduction in the number of cigarette filters dropped in the sand, compared to beaches with no ashtrays. Reinforcing the presence of portable ashtrays with social prompts did not generate a statistically significantly different effect.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Castaldi, Gionata, Grazia Cecere and Mariangela Zoli. 2018. "Smoke on the beach: a field experiment to reduce cigarette littering." AEA RCT Registry. June 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2964-1.1
Former Citation
Castaldi, Gionata, Grazia Cecere and Mariangela Zoli. 2018. "Smoke on the beach: a field experiment to reduce cigarette littering." AEA RCT Registry. June 02. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2964/history/207931
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2015-06-22
Intervention End Date
2015-08-10

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
butt litter (per capita and as percentage of total butts)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We sorted 8 beach resorts randomly into three groups. In the ”Ashtray” condition, beach visitors were given free portable ashtrays which they can use near where they were sunbathing (conventional economic approach).
In the ”Ashtray plus message” condition, free portable ashtrays were provided but also we added signboards with messages explicitly encouraging the use of ashtrays to keep the beach clean (social injunctive norm.) Finally, beaches randomly assigned to the control condition received no intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Beach resorts
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
8 beach resorts
Sample size: planned number of observations
351
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
3 Treatment 1; 3 Treatment 2; 2 Control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
August 10, 2015, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
August 10, 2015, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
8 beach resorts
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
56,000 beach attenders
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
Cigarette filters, the most commonly littered item worldwide, are one of the main sources of marine pollution. However, reducing cigarette littering is a serious challenge for policymakers and environmental authorities: traditional instruments like bans and fines are generally ineffective. In this article, we evaluate the impact of two
interventions aimed at reducing smokers’ littering in public areas, like beaches. We run a field experiment at eight beach resorts in the north east coast of Italy. Resorts were randomly assigned to three groups: in the first, we introduced portable ashtrays to test whether smokers respond to the lower effort costs (time plus inconvenience)
by disposing of litter properly. In the second set, we added a social cue. The third group of resorts was used as a control with no intervention. Results suggest that reducing the private costs of a proper disposal through mobile ashtrays significantly affects littering, leading to a reduction of 10–12% in the number of cigarette filters
dropped in the sand compared to beaches with no ashtrays. Reinforcing this measure with social prompts does not significantly increase the impact driven by the introduction of mobile ashtrays.
Citation
Castaldi, G., Cecere, G., & Zoli, M. (2021). “Smoke on the beach”: on the use of economic vs behavioral policies to reduce environmental pollution by cigarette littering. Economia politica, 38, 1025-1048.
URL
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40888-020-00205-5

Reports & Other Materials