Public Litter Can Study
During the semester of fall 2019, San Jose State University partnered with the City of San Jose’s Environmental Services Department and CommUniverCity to collectively gather data on littering behaviors. Jason DeHaan’s SOC 104 Quantitative Research Methods and 105 Qualitative Research Methods students participated in the data collection by observing littering in sites with and without access to litter cans. Students spend hundreds of hours observing six different locations around the city of San Jose.
SJSU sociology students surveyed a total of 500 residents about litter can appeal and their general attitudes about littering in downtown San Jose. Upon completing their data collection, the students were tasked with analyzing that data to later showcase
their results. During the showcase, students presented quotes, numbers, and images summarizing their findings. Residents reported that homelessness and litter can accessibility were major contributors to litter problems.
We’d like to thank our Environemental Services colleagues Shikha Gupta, Michael Gonzalez, and Luaren Romanazzi for their support on this project.
Project Impacts
69% of the observed littering behaviors were classified as intentional actions
52% of respondents strongly agreed that there is a lot of litter on the streets, with 67% of people agreeing that the presence of litter causes them to avoid some areas
Cigarettes were the most commonly littered items, comprising 32% of all littered waste
Students Engaged
Residents Engaged
Hours of Student Service
Value
Faculty Lead
Jason DeHaan (Sociology & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences)