Consumption and avoidance of single-use plastic in daily life: a consumer diary study

Changing consumer behaviour is seen as a crucial factor in the fight against plastic pollution. However, there is little evidence that measures based on behavioural change can bring about the drastic change needed to break the cycle of plastic pollution. This is due to the diversity of plastic crises, but also to the unsatisfactory methods used to examine the role of consumers in the fight against plastic. Single-use plastic (SUP) is firmly integrated into consumers' everyday lives. However, research on SUP use or avoidance is often not conducted in the social context in which SUP consumption takes place. We conducted a diary study to explore the daily use and avoidance of SUPs in context. We invited 30 people to participate in a two-week SUP diary study, recording their SUP consumption in the first week and their SUP avoidance in the second week. We analysed the results in a workshop with some of the participants to develop interventions that best fit their consumption habits. We found that the way people commute, shop and eat has an impact on their use and possible avoidance of SUPs. We also found that most SUP products can be avoided. However, consumers' concerns about comfort, cleanliness and convenience make it difficult to avoid SUPs. Our findings suggest that avoiding SUP would require systematic changes in everyday practices and consumption patterns. We propose interventions that focus on changing everyday habits of eating, working and shopping, as well as consumer literacy. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/424539/document