Identity- and pride-based mass-media anti-litter campaigns

#00082

Reframe not-littering as an expression of who people already are — local pride, group identity — rather than an environmental instruction. Aimed at the demographics most likely to litter and delivered through broadcast and social media at scale.

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United States

Partial

Keep America Beautiful (industry-funded coalition) · since 1971 · National

Keep America Beautiful — founded in 1953 by packaging and beverage manufacturers — ran the 1971 "Crying Indian" PSA ("People start pollution. People can stop it."), achieving enormous cultural reach. The campaign is wid…

Texas, USA

Success

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) / GSD&M · since 1986 · Region

Texas's anti-litter campaign was launched in 1986 by the state transport department (TxDOT) after research identified the typical roadside litterer as a young male (18–35) who did not perceive littering as a problem. Ra…

Roadside litter reduction (1986→1990)1986 levels → ~72%%

First-year litter reduction (1986→1987)1986 levels → ~29%%

2 sources

communityfix.org