How to break up with plastics (using behavioural science)

Australia is responsible for over 13 thousand tonnes of plastic litter per year. At the end of June 2018, the Australian government released an inquiry report on the waste and recycling industry in Australia. One of the recommendations was that we should phase out petroleum-based single-use plastics by 2023.

Single-use plastics are convenient, but it’s time to phase them out. 

This means a real social shift, because the convenient plastic products that we use once and throw away are ubiquitous in Australia.

Bans, as Coles and Woolworths recently adopted for plastic bags, are one option – but are not suitable for every situation. They can also feel like an imposition, which can inspire backlash if the community is not on board. Behavioural science can offer a path to curb our plastic use.

Read the report by a  Doctoral Candidate & Research Officer at BehaviourWorks Australia from the Monash Sustainable Development Institute at Monash University, Kim Borg, from The Conversation - “How to break up with plastics (using behavioural science).”