CIGARETTE BUTTS IN SANTA BARBARA Prepared by UCSB students: Ashley Bagley Daniela Salazar DJ Wetmore Abigail Wolff As a course project for ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 193SP: Group Research Project Seminar Instructor: Professor Simone Pulver, Ph.D. June 2012 Executive summary UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Studies 193SP Butts Team was tasked, by the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division, to determine the best method for reduction of cigarette litter in local waterways and the ocean. Through primary and secondary research, as well as consultation with experts in survey research and marketing, our team gathered the knowledge necessary to compose and distribute a survey designed to empirically evaluate smokers’ habits and motivations as they related to littering cigarette butts. Survey sampling took place in four predetermined locations, selected with the intent of reaching a demographic representative of the larger Santa Barbara population. 76 smokers fully completed surveys but due to the convenience- based sampling method, certain characteristics of the surveyed demographic were skewed from larger population’s demographic. Using the information from our research, and in-depth analysis from the survey data, our team developed four potential solutions to reduce cigarette litter: Law Enforcement Improved Infrastructure Educational Outreach Incentivized Collection. The first three strategies alter behavior of smokers by encouraging proper disposal, while the fourth reduces the amount of litter that makes its way from streets, beaches and parks into local waterways or the ocean. This report discusses our research process and recommended strategies in detail, including the pros and cons, and the best methods for implementation. Table of Contents I) Introduction……………………………………………………………1 II) Methodology………………………………………………………….2 i) Survey Construction…………………………………………….5 ii) Data Collection…………………………………………………6 iii) Sample Versus Target Population……………………………..6 III) Recommendations……………………………………………………9 i) Law enforcement………………………………………………10 ii) Improved Infrastructure………………………………………12 iii) Educational Campaign ………………………………………15 iv) Incentivized Collection………………………………………17 v) Social Media: Facebook………………………………………18 IV) Conclusion………………………………………………………….20 V) Graph Appendix……………………………………………………..22 VI) Best Practice Appendix…………………………………………….28 1 Introduction Santa Barbara prides itself on its “green” image and has a rich history of environmentalism. Unfortunately, the city is still plagued with the problem of cigarette butt litter - particularly in aquatic ecosystems. These carcinogenic bits of non- biodegradable cellulose acetate are the number-one item removed from local beaches during coastal cleanups. They are toxic to fish and wildlife and pose risks to human health as well as animals. For these reason, Santa Barbara Creeks Division came to UC Santa Barbara’s ES 193SP Butts Team for assistance in accomplishing the following goal: to most effectively reduce the amount of cigarette litter in Santa Barbara’s natural environment. To determine the best strategies and techniques to effectively and efficiently solve this problem, our team used extensive preliminary research and professional consultation, coupled with interviews and participant observation, to develop a survey that could be used to evaluate the habits and motivations of cigarette smokers. Drawing from this knowledge we composed a survey designed to answer three key questions posed by Liz Smith, Outreach Coordinator for the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division: 1. Why do smokers toss their cigarette butts on the ground? 2. How much effort smokers are willing to put into proper butt disposal? 3. What approaches would best encourage behavior change? Over the course of 9 weeks the 193SP Butts team carefully crafted, strategically distributed, and thoroughly analyzed 76 surveys. Our methods, findings, and subsequent recommendations for the Santa Barbara Creeks Division are discussed below. 2 Methodology At the onset of this study our team was composed of novice researchers. To avoid any issues arising from inexperience, we were required to examine several case studies and numerous articles discussing ethical research practices. All researchers also successfully completed the University of California’s Human Training Module, which certified team members to perform field studies on human subjects. In addition, we received extensive guidance from senior researcher Dr. Simone Pulver, with additional professional consultation provided by Celia Alario, Marketing Consultant and Media Strategist and Andrea Joseph, Project Coordinator of the UCSB Social Science Survey Center. Simultaneous to this preliminary education, our team gathered background research that examined the following areas: Santa Barbara’s regional demographics Existing smoking infrastructure in Santa Barbara Best practices of other municipalities for cigarette butt litter reduction The techniques and efficacy of messaging through social media This guidance and information helped our team to better design a survey and analyze data, and provided insight on potential litter reduction strategies. To develop a survey that best addressed the questions posed by the Santa Barbara Creeks Division, we conducted 8 unstructured interviews and 9 hours of participant observation. Unstructured interviews consisted of approximately 30 minutes of Q and A discussion with regular smokers. The purpose was to gain insight into smokers’ habits, assess their general attitude toward littering cigarette butts, and determine the obstacles to proper disposal. Questions asked included “Why do smokers leave their butts on the ground?”, “Where do you usually smoke?”, “How often do 3 you properly dispose of cigarette butts?”, “What practices or implementations might help you alter your behavior?” By interviewing informally, and allowing the conversation to develop naturally, we were able to elicit candid responses. Interviewee feedback assisted our team to tailor question presentation in a way that was least likely to offend or embarrass smokers, helping to achieve more credible survey results. These interviews tipped us off to typical smoker behavior, perspectives and concerns. From interview responses we were able to identify the pertinent questions for surveying the smoker population. We were also able to discover areas in which smoking is most prevalent, allowing us to target and survey smokers within these problem areas. Interestingly, every person interviewed admitted to having thrown cigarettes onto the ground on more than one occasion. Those interviewed believed that cigarette butts were disposed improperly primarily due to apathy and lack of convenient receptacles. Correspondingly, fines and increased disposal infrastructure were considered the most effective vehicles for change. Interviewees also a shared a feeling of guilt that discouraged littering in pristine or cleanly areas. Many assumed others collected their cigarette butts, such as street sweepers and business owners. Others believed their cigarette butts were washed into the storm drains and treated with sewage water. Interviewees were usually unaware of the materials used for cigarette filters, or how these filters affect the environment and human health. Some thought cigarette butts were too small to have an impact, while others knew they were harmful but could not articulate why. Everyone interviewed felt that Santa Barbara’s cigarette disposal infrastructure was insufficient, and improvements would enable increased proper disposal. 4 These discussion findings yielded a couple of discrepancies when contrasted with the survey data. Most notably, even those who considered themselves very environmentally conscious and were aware of the negative impacts of cigarette butts, acknowledged that they never managed to properly dispose of 100% of their butts. Interviewees were in general agreement that no smoker has disposed properly in every instance of cigarette butt disposal. Secondly, the surveys purported that a far higher percentage of smokers managed to get their butts into the trash all or nearly all of the time, establishing some concern as to the level of embellishment in responses. It was also clear that when asked about one’s personal habits, people provided excuses and obstacles justifying their faults, but were often quick to insist laziness or apathy as the root of other smokers’ littering. Participant observation provided unbiased insight into smoker behavior. These observations were conducted in one and two-hour segments evenly divided between the following four locations: Cafe Zoma (Lower State St) SB Transit Center Stearn’s Wharf UCSB Library These areas were chosen because they are highly trafficked problem areas, and each contained populations of varied demographics. Similarly to the unstructured interviews, these observations painted a rather different image of disposal behavior when contrasted with survey responses. An interesting finding was that 58 of 60 people made a clear effort to extinguish their cigarette before tossing it, implying (later confirmed by our 5 survey results) that there is a subconscious habit supporting fire prevention ingrained in nearly all smokers. Over 85% of people did not dispose properly of their cigarette butts, throwing them on the ground, often when while standing right next to obvious trash cans. We noticed some confusion over disposal as well, especially on State Street, where ashtrays were missing; one individual even