Social Econ Blog

When I was a kid, Saturday morning cartoons were inundated with anti-littering commercials. Like this one featuring Woodsy the Owl (someone you all may not even know, a casualty of the spotted owl wars -- tragic):



Or the classic "Crying Indian" PSA (which actually predates me, but I've heard it referenced often):



Today, though, anti-litter PSAs aren't common. In fact, they may not even exist (I certainly don't recall seeing any). In spite of its private efficiency (from the individuals perspective littering is a cheap way to get rid of your trash), people really don't litter intentionally anymore. This article describes the change in litter in the US and argues (perhaps correctly) that it is the result of changing the social norms (about both litter and recycling) plus increasing enforcement of litter laws. It's an interesting lesson in the power of social (as opposed to monetary) incentives as a means of solving pollution problems (by internalizing externalities).

(Random aside to illustrate how strong the "don't litter" mindset is (at least for me). 10 years ago, I was in Paris. At the time, Parisians were concerned about bombs in their garbage cans, so all the garbage cans had been sealed up. You were just supposed to throw your garbage on the ground and an army of street cleaners cleaned it up. I couldn't do it. I literally carried garbage for miles until I found a Burger King where I could go inside and throw it away.)