Testing a norm-based policy for waste management: An agent-based modeling simulation on nudging recycling behavior

Andrea Ceschi; Riccardo Sartori; Stephan Dickert; Andrea Scalco; Elena M Tur; Francesco Tommasi; Keren Delfini

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112938

Testing a norm-based policy for waste management: An agent-based modeling simulation on nudging recycling behavior

J Environ Manage. 2021 Sep 15:294:112938. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112938. Epub 2021 Jun 30.

Authors

Andrea Ceschi¹, Riccardo Sartori², Stephan Dickert³, Andrea Scalco⁴, Elena M Tur⁵, Francesco Tommasi⁶, Keren Delfini⁷

Affiliations

¹ University of Verona, Human Sciences Department, Verona, IT, Italy. Electronic address: andrea.ceschi@univr.it.
² University of Verona, Human Sciences Department, Verona, IT, Italy. Electronic address: riccardo.sartori@univr.it.
³ University of Klagenfurt, Department of Psychology, Austria. Electronic address: s.dickert@qmul.ac.uk.
⁴ The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, UK. Electronic address: andrea.scalco@abdn.ac.uk.
⁵ School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands; University of Gothenburg, Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Business, Law and Economics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: e.m.mas.tur@tue.nl.
⁶ University of Verona, Human Sciences Department, Verona, IT, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.tommasi@univr.it.
⁷ University of Verona, Human Sciences Department, Verona, IT, Italy. Electronic address: keren.delfini@univr.it.

PMID: 34214943
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112938

Abstract

The present study uses agent-based modeling (ABM) to examine the effectiveness of a nudge policy for improving recycling behavior. In our simulation, agents' recycling behavior is computed by components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (i.e., attitudes, perceived behavioral control, social norms) and influenced by other agents as well as their surrounding (i.e., amount of waste in the area). The simulation, based on real data from a Taiwan community district, confirms realistic recycling trends and demonstrates the usefulness and reliability of ABM as a method to examine the effectiveness of waste management policies. An additional step in our simulation was to manipulate the amount of waste in the community to test the effect of a nudge policy based on social norms. Results showed that the policy increases recycling activity, but predominantly in low waste scenarios. This suggests that nudges, in the form of norm-based policies, can be an effective solution to enhancing people's recycling behavior under specific circumstances.

Keywords: Agent based modelling; Norm-based policy; Nudges; Recycling behavior; Social norms; Theory of planned behavior.

MeSH terms

Humans
Policy
Recycling*
Reproducibility of Results
Systems Analysis
Taiwan
Waste Management*