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Promoting Reusable Coffee Cup Use Through A Probabilistic Reward

University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

Introduction This study assesses the impacts of a probabilistic reward on disposable mug use at Blue Chip Cafe on the University of British Columbia campus. Research Question and Hypothesis The research question asks how a probabilistic reward intervention, in the form of a spin-thewheel, will impact reusable mug use among patrons at the Cafe. The research hypothesis suggests that reusable mug usage will increase during the implementation of a probabilistic reward intervention strategy in the form of a spin-the-wheel when compared to baseline. Methods This between-subjects design study consisted of a baseline condition and an intervention condition with 216 and 189 participants, respectively. Data was collected by three researchers observing customers as they entered, purchased, and received their beverages. The independent variable was the spin-the-wheel intervention, and the dependent variable was the rate at which patrons brought a reusable mug. Results The findings of this study exhibited weak strength, yet it held statistical significance. Recommendations Given this, we recommend some alterations such as implementing this as an electronic system. This would allow Blue Chip Cafe, as well as the wider UBC community, to reduce disposable mug usage. If successful at these local locations, this study has the potential to be implemented in other places too. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Report

eng

2024-07-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88766

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/