Public Messaging and Behavior Change Systems for Circular Economies

Roadside litter makes the roads visually unpleasant and is associated with social, economic, and environmental issues. It can cause safety and operational issues, such as traffic flow interruptions and safety hazards to road users. Littering has been a concern in the United States since the 1950s, and many federal, state, local, and volunteer efforts have been taken to address this problem. Since 1983, Tennessee has evolved with various litter prevention programs aiming to keep Tennessee beautiful. During 2012-22, Tennessee climbed up to the average performance on the litter scorecard and the number of hotline reports was reduced; however, no substantial reduction in the pounds of litter removed was found. It is unclear what programs are effective, what organizational structure works, and what strategies are successful. The primary goal of this research is to establish a responsive platform to develop new public messaging strategies that can change litter behavior.

• Record URL:
  https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/long-range-planning/research/one-pagers-res-2024-projects/RES%202024-01.final.pdf

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $149999
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Tennessee Department of Transportation

  James K. Polk Building
  Fifth and Deaderick Street
  Nashville, TN  United States  37243-0349
• Managing Organizations:

  Tennessee Department of Transportation

  James K. Polk Building
  Fifth and Deaderick Street
  Nashville, TN  United States  37243-0349
• Project Managers:

  McClanahan, Michael

• Performing Organizations:

  The University of Memphis

  Southern Avenue
  Memphis, Tennessee  United States  38152
• Principal Investigators:

  Mishra, Sabyasachee

• Start Date: 20230801
• Expected Completion Date: 20250731
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Highways; Litter; Public information programs
• Geographic Terms: Tennessee
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01891029
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Tennessee Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 25 2023 10:51AM