Gestes Propres commissioned Ifop to carry out its first barometer dedicated to abandoned waste, in order to measure French people’s tolerance of this incivility, their perception of the exposure of their territories and the actual proportion of actions that do not conform to good practice. The survey provides a clear picture of the behaviours and perceptions associated with cigarette butts, small and large items of litter left in public spaces, both in towns and in the countryside.
- Throwing garbage on the ground or putting it next to a garbage can: incivilities considered as shocking as urinating in the street
When it comes to the cleanliness of public spaces, throwing garbage in the wrong place is one of the most shocking forms of incivility for the French surveyed, in particular “throwing garbage on the ground” (55% of quotes) or “putting garbage next to a garbage can in the street” (50%). By way of comparison, these behaviors rank slightly lower in the hierarchy than “letting your dog do its business without picking it up” (59%), but at the same level as “urinating in the street” (54%). In this respect, only “abandoning bulky items” on the sidewalk arouses slightly less indignation (42%).
- The majority of French landscapes are perceived to be exposed to littering
The phenomenon of garbage dumping appears to be particularly widespread. Whatever the geographical area, more than half of all respondents consider it “very frequent” or “fairly frequent” to find cigarette butts, small items of garbage or large items of garbage outside designated areas (with scores ranging – for each type of waste – between 46% and 92%).
In detail, however, specific patterns emerge:
- Firstly, in terms of the types of waste most frequently abandoned: overall, small items of garbage and abandoned cigarette butts are far more visible in public spaces than large items of garbage.
- Secondly, on the places most affected: a clear hierarchy of exposure emerges between territories.
- French towns and cities (in general) are unanimously perceived as the areas where littering is most frequent (91% of French people consider it “very frequent or fairly frequent” to drop small items of garbage, 92% cigarette butts and 80% large items of garbage).
- Natural areas and roadsides/motorways are the next most common sites, with some specificities depending on the type of waste. Roadsides and freeways are the second most visible places for small items and cigarette butts, while natural areas are the most visible for large items.
- The neighbourhood or commune of residence is systematically cited as the area where littering is least frequent: 39% of those interviewed said that small items of litter were rarely or never littered there, 34% for cigarette butts and 54% for large items of litter.
- Finally, on the intensity of littering: The most “very frequent” drop-off site is near roads or freeways (48% for small items, 49% for cigarette butts and 25% for large items).
- With clear disparities between urban and rural areas
A significantly higher proportion of French people living in towns with more than 30,000 inhabitants (and even more so in towns with 100,000 or more inhabitants), in the Paris conurbation or in Paris intramuros report “very frequent” dumping of garbage close to where they live. This trend can be observed across all types of waste. For example, 37% of residents of towns with a population of 100,000 or more consider it “very frequent” to drop small items of garbage in the neighborhood or town where they live (+22 pts compared to residents of towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants), 39% consider it “very frequent” to drop cigarette butts (+18 pts) and 20% consider it “very frequent” to drop large items of garbage (+11 pts).
- When each small item of waste is considered individually, reported abandonment remains marginal…
When asked how they most often dispose of a used cigarette butt (for smokers) or a small piece of waste when they don’t have a rubbish bin/ashtray nearby, almost all those questioned attested to exemplary behavior (98% cited good practice for small items of waste and 94% for cigarette butts), which is proof of a good assimilation of general instructions. However, this is not the case for smokers: 30% of them admit to practicing the wrong gesture (18% leave their cigarette butts where they think they’ll be picked up, and 16% leave them where they are). These levels are much higher than for small items of litter (only 13% say they do the wrong thing).
In practice, in fact, few respondents claim to have abandoned small items of garbage in public spaces in the last 12 months (whether in town, in nature or out of a car window). With the exception of abandoning a fruit peel in nature (16% of quotes), the abandonment of each of these items concerns only between 1% and 8% of respondents.
A paradoxical finding, given the high perceived exposure of landscapes to the abandonment of such waste.
- … but concern a third of French people when considered as a whole
In reality, the phenomenon of waste abandonment derives its full scope from the accumulation of isolated practices. Indeed, when all bad practices are taken into account, the abandonment of one of these items in the last 12 months ultimatelyconcerns a third of the French population (35%). In detail, 27% have abandoned at least one of these types of waste in nature, 18% in town and 17% through a car window.
The following are over-represented among them:
The under-35s: 44% say they have thrown away a small piece of waste in the last 12 months (+9 pts on the sample average). Compared to their elders, a higher proportion of the under-35s threw away a fruit peel or a cigarette butt in town (8% vs. 5% overall in both cases), a disposable handkerchief in nature (6% vs. 3% overall) or a chewing gum out of a car window (11% vs. 8%).
Inhabitants of Paris intramuros: 53% (+18 pts vs. average) and stand out in particular for the more recurrent abandonment of a fruit peel (18% vs. 5% overall), a glass bottle (8% vs. 1%) or a chewing gum (13% vs. 6%) in the city / a cigarette butt in the country (15% vs. 4%) / a fruit peel (14% vs. 5%) or a cigarette butt (9% vs. 4%) out of a car window.
The same is true of people from higher social classes (46%) andsmokers(49%).
It is also interesting to note that the propensity to abandon small items of litter in public spaces is not linked to environmental awareness.
- To combat littering, action must overcome a number of obstacles
a) A minority (but not insignificant) of French people who have thrown away at least one item of waste in public spaces over the past 12 months admit to having carried out a conscious, or even relaxed, uncivil act:
–31% of those interviewed justify their act with one of the following arguments : 9% that the garbage cans are always too full, 9% too far away, 5% that this type of act is not going to change anything, 3% that waste collection is financed by taxes, 2% that others are already doing it, 2% that it’s not their town and they therefore don’t feel concerned
–39% of the respondents concerned would not have given up abandoning garbage in the presence of a witness, particularly when the witness is a relative (32%), a stranger (25%) or a child (24%).
b) A still relatively small proportion compensate for these behaviours by picking up garbage abandoned by others. In this case, 9% of French people do so “often” and 7% “take part in litter pick-ups”, while 42% “never” do.
c) False beliefs also persist when it comes to littering.
–A significant proportion of those interviewed believe that waste would have a “good chance” or “fairly good chance” of being picked up if left in an inappropriate space. The main areas affected by these beliefs were the space next to a rubbish bin/container (34% for cigarette butts, 62% for small garbage and 68% for large garbage), the beach (30% for cigarette butts and 47% for small garbage) or the sidewalk (28% for cigarette butts, 47% for small garbage and 66% for large garbage). On the other hand, the likelihood of such waste being collected in natural areas (country lanes, forests) appears much less certain. Overall, the feeling prevails that large items of garbage have a greater chance of being collected in all these areas.
–The French also subscribe to a certain number of prejudices that may run counter to good practice. Of the list of statements presented to respondents, only 14% were correct (indicating that false statements were true). The most deeply rooted prejudices were: “Food waste can be thrown away in nature because it is biodegradable” (54% support), “It is possible to clean the oceans of plastic waste using new technologies” (32%) or “If my bulky item is in good condition, it’s better to leave it in the street rather than take it to the waste collection center” (14%).
d) In addition, the risk of being punished for littering is not considered by the majority. 44% of French people consider the risk of being fined in such circumstances to be high/moderate (of which only 14% consider it to be “high”), compared with 56% who consider it to be low or nil.
