Improving User Accessibility for Waste Recycling Behaviour via a Symbol Matching System

Howshigan, Shamini

Abstract

This thesis investigated the impact of symbols on packaging and bins with the intent of nudging the individual unconsciously to proper waste sorting with less cognitive effort. Experiment 1 (N=78) investigated the impact of symbols in facilitating correct waste sorting among three waste sorting conditions: Colour-Only, Symbol-Only, and Colour & Symbol condition. The results revealed that the Symbol-Only bin recorded the highest accuracy in waste sorting compared to Colour-Only bin conditions, but there is no significant difference in waste sorting accuracy between Symbol-Only and Colour & Symbol bin conditions. Experiment 2 (N= 52) hypothesised that participants' waste sorting accuracy would be higher in the Word Label & Symbol condition than in the Word Label Only condition. The results showed that the Word Label & Symbol bin condition recorded higher waste sorting accuracy than those in the Word Label Only bin condition. In Experiment 3 (N= 52), findings suggest that incorporating symbols into bins significantly improves waste sorting accuracy compared to placing only word labels on the bins. Experiment 4 (N=52) hypothesised that participants' waste sorting accuracy would be higher in the Symbol & Colour bin condition than in the Colour-Only condition when under time constraints. It was found that that under time constraints, the presence of a symbol improved waste sorting accuracy. However, before further investigating the incorporation of symbols in waste sorting, it is necessary to comprehend people's waste sorting behaviour in an unmanipulated, natural setting. Therefore, an observational study (N=168) aimed to investigate the waste separation behaviour of the public in a naturalistic setting. The findings revealed that only around 47.02% of people exhibited proper waste sorting behaviours, and more than half of the participants failed to deposit the waste items into the correct bins in a natural environment. Therefore, there is a necessity for certain modifications to be imposed in waste sorting to make the process easier. Experiment 5 (N= 60) investigated the role of symbols in waste sorting in a natural environment setup. The effect of placing symbols on the bins and waste items in the Colour & Symbol condition caused high waste sorting accuracy compared to the Colour-Only bin condition in a natural environment. The findings from these experiments consistently support the idea that placing symbols on packaging and waste bins serves as a nudging cue, resulting in improved accuracy in waste sorting and can potentially reduce confusion and cognitive effort associated with this task.

Citation

Howshigan, S. (2024). Improving User Accessibility for Waste Recycling Behaviour via a Symbol Matching System. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5077567

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 11, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 10, 2026
• Keywords: Psychology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5077567
• Additional Information: Department of Psychology; University of Hull
• Award Date: Oct 9, 2024