PERSPECTIVES ON DISPOSABLE BEVERAGE WASTE

Abstract

Disposable beverage waste is an increasingly common issue in North America and at Dalhousie University. Our research project focused on identifying how students and staff who use the Rowe Management Building on Dalhousie Studley Campus perceived disposable beverage waste and if they would support options for reducing waste through a reusable container program, financial incentives or a ban on disposable cups. To do this, we conducted a non-probabilistic and non-purposive mixed methods (paper, digital and face to face) survey in the Rowe Building over a two and a half week period in March 2018. For students, we conducted utilized quota sampling and for staff we conducted stakeholder sampling. Our quantitative results were analyzed using significance tests and our qualitative results were coded by us as a group. From our data, we identified respondent’s reusable container use and disposable beverage purchasing habits, perspectives around disposable beverage waste, support for changes to disposable beverage waste, preferences and realistic options for change, and barriers to change. We identified support for change and a strong preference for financial incentives which led us to make the following recommendations to the Green Café and the Office of Sustainability: support the Green Café as a pilot project for reducing beverage waste on campus through financial incentives; change the social norm; increase efforts in education and outreach to raise awareness of this issue and incentives that exist to support container use.