MAY 2022 Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR BEHAVIORAL INSIGHTS AND POLICY OPTIONS ​ ​ Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: “World Bank. 2022. Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR. ©World Bank.” Photo credits World Bank 2022 Contents Acknowledgements  4 Context  5 Our Method  6 Define & Diagnose  7 Design  16 Implement & Evaluate  20 Learn & Adapt  27 Final Recommendations 31 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) on this ASA is led by Maurice Andres Rawlins and at behavioral insights to reduce open waste burning in the time of delivery includes Kaysone Vongthavilay, Lao PDR aims to support the government of Lao PDR Rieko Kubota, Souksavanh Sombounkhanh and to generate and convene knowledge that informs Anorath Douangphachanh. A team from the the development and implementation of policies, World Bank’s Mind, Behavior & Development Unit plans, and investments for Lao PDR’s green growth (EMBED) directed by Renos Vakis, and composed of transition and helps the country build natural and Ailin Tomio and Daniel Alejandro Pinzón led the be- human capital from better management of pollution, havioral analysis. waste, and renewable natural resources. Funding for the ASA was gratefully provided by the This ASA is a deliverable under the Lao PDR Resil- Korean Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF) which ient Green Growth Programmatic ASA (P171011) was complemented by World Bank operating bud- implemented by the World Bank. Sister ASAs ad- get. dress related topics important for Lao PDR’s green growth agenda, such as solid and plastic waste man- agement, priorities for environmental management, promotion of nature-based tourism, sustainable forest management, landscape valuation and impor- tance of biodiversity. The World Bank task team for Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 4 CONTEXT In order to promote environmentally friendly also devoted significant attention to identify and behaviors, it is fundamental not only to consider describe major socio-psychological and situational and modify already existing infrastructure and determinants of sustainable behaviors, such as age, facilities, or rethink physical prompts and cues in gender, cultural background, attitudes, knowledge, the environment, but also contemplate and target motivation, social influence and others1. In this the cognitive traits inherent to any human being. report, we provide a description of how behavioral Sustainable behaviors such as recycling, reusing science was used to generate insights on factors and composting are driven by different motivations that influence open burning in the population of Lao and beliefs. In the past few decades, scholars have PDR. Figure 1: How we work in our projects. HOW WE WORK CONTEXT-DRIVEN EMPIRICAL AGILE Resources are devoted We test multiple designs, Results are used to learn and to carefully define the each based on different adapt the program design behaviors underpinning the assumptions about and feed into a new round development challenge and individuals’ choices and of definition, diagnosis, appropriate diagnosis of the behavior. design, implementation, causes of those behaviors. and testing; this process of refinement continues as the intervention is scaled up. 1  Miafodzyeva, S., Brandt, N., & Andersson, M. (2013). Recycling behaviour of householders living in multicultural urban area: a case study of Järva, Stockholm, Sweden. Waste Management & Research, 31(5), 447-457. 5 OUR METHOD This report will walk the reader through the different hypotheses is designed. Finally, the intervention is phases of the behavioral method applied to open implemented and evaluated in order to adapt the burning in Lao PDR (Figure 2). In the definition phase solutions to the current reality of the population. the behavior is outlined, and the social, psychological, and contextual factors that influence it are studied. In the second phase, an intervention based on the Figure 2: The project’s phases 01. 03. DEFINITION IMPLEMENTATION & DIAGNOSIS & EVALUATION 05. RE-DEFINE & RE-DIAGNOSE 02. 04. DESIGN ADAPT Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 6 DEFINE AND DIAGNOSE Behaviorally-informed policy emphasizes the is influenced by several factors such as: i) the current importance of context for decision-making and state and limited coverage of the waste collection behavior. The social, psychological, and economic system7; ii) financial aspects such as a general lack factors that affect what people think, as well as how of incentives and high costs of services8; iii) legal people behave while using a service, are key insights aspects such as the lack of enforcement of fines; that inform behavioral interventions. This project and iv) social aspects such as the lack of awareness was focused on a specific waste management (WM) of the consequences of burning and a lack of trust issue present in Lao PDR: open burning of waste by in the waste collection system. Finally, there are households. According to a 2020 World Bank report2 specific social and individual behaviors that favor every year in Lao PDR there are 10,000 deaths the habit of burning9 such as consumption patterns attributed to environmental health risk factors, and and cleanliness habits (see Figure 3). household air pollution alone represents 44 percent of those deaths. The 10,000 deaths represent 21.6 percent of all deaths in the country, without mentioning the illnesses they cause. To understand the context, a desk review of all materials and available information on the incidence of the issue was conducted3,4,5,6, as well as several interviews with key stakeholders such as UNDP Accelerator Lab, Zero Waste Laos and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Inspection in Lao PDR. Open burning in Lao PDR is a multicausal issue that 2  Sánchez-Triana, E. (2021). Environmental Challenges for Green Growth and Poverty Reduction. 3  https://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/blog/2020/the-journey--collective-intelligence--ci--to-understand-open-bur.html 4  https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12345914.pdf 5  https://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/blog/2020/before-the-bins--what-s-really-going-on-.html 6  Sánchez-Triana, E. (2021). Environmental Challenges for Green Growth and Poverty Reduction. 7  Household waste management in the nation’s capital stands at only 27 percent, while the remaining 73 percent of households in the capital do not use municipal waste collection services, retrieved from: https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12345914.pdf ​ 8  The service fee is relatively high (4 USD/month) when compared to the minimum wage of local people (80 USD/month) https://www.la.undp.org/ content/lao_pdr/en/home/blog/2020/the-journey--collective-intelligence--ci--to-understand-open-bur.html​ 9  According to several surveys on waste management conducted by The Asia Foundation in 2017 in rural areas of Khammouane province, 90 percent of respondents said they burned their waste https://asiafoundation.org/2017/04/19/love-laos-keep-clean/​ 7 Figure 3: Archetypes: the different dimensions that influence waste burning in households • Small roads don’t allow waste • Formal collection charges extra collection system to access every for organic waste house • Open burning is free in practice • In Vientiane only 27% has contract with waste collectors. Similar rates • Waste pickers look for valuable for the rest of the country waste (e.g., metals, cardboard, etc.) • Low frequency & bad quality • High service fee for waste waste service generation (4 USD/month) WASTE COLLECTION SYSTEM FINANCIAL CONTEXT SOCIAL & INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR • Open burning is a tradition • Reporting others is burdensome • Animals spread the waste in the streets when left outside • Open burning is easier than recycling and disposing • Solid waste has doubled in past 10 years • 90% report burning trash FACTORS Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 8 Based on the literature review two hypotheses tradition or social norms, while others burn to fulfill around open burning were stated: i) households certain purposes such as the need to maintain their have different levels of awareness in relation to the houses and front yards clean or saving the money negative outcomes of burning their waste, and ii) from the waste collection fee (see Figure 4). some households have the habit of burning based on • System of fines is not clear/ transparent • Illegal waste dumping OPEN LEGAL BURNING FROM AWARENESS & BELIEFS LAO HOUSEHOLDS • Lack of awareness of the consequences for health • Lack of trust in separation of waste, as all ends up in same landfill • Plastic is considered a symbol of progress SYMPTOM 9 Figure 4: Hypothetical Arquetypes: reasons we think people burn their waste BURNS BY HABITS 1 People that think open burning is a 2 People that think open burning is useful solution to waste generation and dangerous but are not motivated to HIGH AWARENESS LOW AWARENESS they have been doing it for generations. change their habits. 3 4 Z ZZ People that are not aware of the risks People that are aware of the risks of open of open burning and try to avoid the burning but believe its individual benefits inconvenience of having waste are higher than its consequences (e.g. money-saving, avoiding accumulating waste). BURNS WITH A PURPOSE Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 10 Even though the focus of the study was on the same waste container. Social norms and status the households’ waste burning behavior, our quo may be factors impacting the lack of sustainable research , , suggests open burning is the outcome 10 11 12 management at home. Finally, since waste collection of a series of previous behaviors that lead to the doesn’t happen every day, waste is piled up and generation and poor management of waste. To households are faced with the decision to burn it, illustrate this, a journey map of the decision process dump it on the streets or wait the necessary time to of waste management was developed. The journey handle it to the collection trucks if available.   (Figure 5) illustrates the different stages of waste generation that lead to waste accumulation and   Outlining these stages of waste generation and burning, as well as the most frequent biases present management, uncovered the need to develop a during each stage. Modern consumption habits tend household survey to understand not only open to favor the purchase of several small plastic products, burning but also alternative behaviors tthat could that are barely reused once consumed and cannot help people rethink their consumer and waste be recovered by recyclable industries. Excessive management habits and shift them into sustainable cognitive load, as well as the focus on present needs alternatives over future needs (hyperbolic discounting), tend to become a barrier to a sustainable planification of daily purchases. At home, households are not used to segregating their waste and therefore throw it in 10  Desk review of online materials mentioned on page 3, as well as insights from key stakeholder’s interviews and relevant literature on behavioral science and waste management. 11  Hoensheid, M. (2021). Long-Term Effects When Educating Elementary Students on Waste Reduction in Minnesota. 12  OECD Report (2008). Household Behaviour and the Environment Reviewing the Evidence.  11 Figure 5: Household decision journey in relation to generating and managing waste. 06. 05. A Burnin ACCESSING PARTIAL WASTE COLLECTION Using Behavio Poor collection service Reduce Waste B Lack of options 04. EVALUATING OPTIONS Mental accounting Present Bias Addressing structural Addressing structural and and behavioral behavioral barriers barrier to recycle, to recycle, reuse reduce, and and, rething waste rethink waste in Laos will reduce waste burning. Thus, it will lead to in Laos will reduce waste burning, leading to a healthier and more eco-friendly community. a healthier and more eco-friendly community. 01. CONSUMER HABITS Convenience Hyperbolic discounting ng Issue 02. oral Insights to DISPOSING WASTE Burning in Laos Lack of awareness Status quo 03. CREATED BY HUMAN INDEED STUDIO FOLLOWING NORMS Bandwagon effect No accountability Biases present during the journey of waste generation and disposal • Cognitive load: Our attention span and short-term memory have limited capacity to process information and retain it. Factors such as too many stimuli in the environment, stress, or lack of sleep reduce people’s capacity to process and retain information. At the stores, when there are too many products to choose from, people will prefer those that are most salient and easy to access. • Hyperbolic discounting: We are inclined to choose immediate rewards over rewards that come later in the future, even when these immediate rewards are smaller. In this case, people may choose small plastic products instead of bigger reusable packages that seem more expensive in the short term but are cheaper in the long term. • Bandwagon Effect: This is the tendency that causes people to think or act a certain way if they believe that others are doing the same. The bandwagon effect can influence people’s tendency to litter. For example, people are more likely to litter if they’re in an environmenthat’s already littered, and less likely to litter if they’re in an environment that’s clean. Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 14 • Status-Quo Bias: The status quo bias is one type of cognitive bias that involves people preferring that things stay as they are or that the current state of affairs remains the same. In waste management, habits and social norms tend to become a barrier to behavioral change. • Present Bias: A tendency to skew our attention to the present over the future, leading us to make short-term decisions, procrastinate on our long-term intentions, and adopt risky or unsustainable behaviors that are enjoyable, cheap or convenient now but may be detrimental in the future. Burning waste may be chosen over keeping the waste until the collection trucks come because it’s less burdensome and allows households to keep their house clean. Based on this journey, and considering the practical limitations of online surveys, the team decided to focus on stages 3 to 5 of the journey to understand household habits and beliefs that lead them to choose between sustainable behaviors (recycling, reusing and composting) or burning waste.  15 DESIGN Once defined the problem and objectives, a asked in the background section. The experimental questionnaire was developed in order to survey the section included different messages regarding household’s most important barriers to sustainable the consequences of waste burning, which were behaviors and test the framing of different messages randomized among respondents (See Implement to discourage open burning. and Evaluate section). The following two sections tested the respondents’ beliefs and commitments in The main hypotheses were that the lack of awareness relation to open burning and sustainable behaviors of the negative consequences of open burning such as reusing, recycling, and composting. Finally, and the lack of better alternatives to fulfill their the last section of the survey focused on current objectives (clean their homes, save waste collection behaviors and needs concerning open burning. One money) led them to burn their waste. Therefore, week after the first part of the survey was completed, messages targeting those barriers would help change people received a second set of questions about beliefs, increase intentions, and promote alternative their last week’s behaviors in terms of reusing, behaviors related to reusing, recycling, composting recycling, composting and burning. and thus avoiding waste burning. The survey consisted of two parts with a total of 22 questions. The first part of the survey was separated into seven sections: i) introduction ii) background questions, iv) experimental messages intervention v) belief questions vi) intention questions vii) final questions. In the introduction section, an explanation of the survey and informed consent were outlined. Relevant information about waste collection access, location and education level was Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 16 Figure 6: Theory of change SHORT-TERM MEDIUM-TERM PROBLEM ACTIVITIES RESULTS RESULTS Lack of awareness Messages oriented Increased knowledge of the dangers of to highlights and increase intention. open burning. the negative consequences of open burning. DECREASE IN OPEN Lack of options Messages oriented to Increased knowledge BURNING to avoid burning. highlight alternatives on ecofriendly to decrease waste alternatives + generation. increased intentions. 17 Experimental design For section iv, five experimental messages targeting behaviors to burning such as using the collection behavioral barriers were designed. Treatment 1 system, reusing, recycling, and composting (See showed an informational message on alternative Figure 7). Figure 7: Treatment 1: informational message “ As I said before, my job is to share recommendations to have a better environment. By the way, did you know there are options to waste burning that might help us all generate less waste? For example:  • Use the system if it is available to you.   • Compost: Use food and organic waste to enrich the soil and plants.  • Recycle: Give the recyclables to waste pickers or recyclable companies.  • Reuse: refill containers and bottles, carry reusable bags in the market, avoid single-use plastics.  Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 18 Treatments 2,3, 4 and 5 included a vignette where the survey, participants received a message asking a character called Noy was introduced as a waste if they agreed to be re-contacted. For those who burner and the respondent was asked to choose a agreed, the second part was sent over the same reason to tell Noy to stop burning. Before choosing chat on Facebook Messenger one week after. the reason, a picture with a message was displayed The advantage of the algorithm is that it allowed (see figure 8). Depending on the treatment arm some recruitment of hard-to-reach subpopulations assigned to each respondent a different message in order to make the sample more representative of would show. Each respondent of the survey Laos. As the survey is rolled-out, algorithms ensure would be randomly allocated to one of these five that the ads focus on the clusters that are below treatment messages or a control (no message) their expected population share (i.e. male, above condition. The rest of the sections were identical for 50, from Vientiane). The ad budget was reallocated all respondents. as surveys were completed, to optimize the share The survey was collected through social media via of respondents in each cluster while achieving the Facebook Messenger, in partnership with Virtual total desired sample and staying within budget. With Lab, which created the optimization algorithm and the Messenger chatbot, we were able to reach the survey chatbot. Participants 18 years and older were respondents without asking personal or sensitive recruited using Facebook ads and targeted by age, questions in a friendly and user-known interface. gender, and region. If they clicked on the ad, they were taken to a chatbot in Facebook Messenger, where they completed the survey. After finishing Figure 8: The images were included in the experimental section. Treatment 2: Treatment 3: Treatment 4: Treatment 5: PRESCRIPTIVE NORMS HEALTH COSTS SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY MONETARY BENEFITS 19 IMPLEMENT & EVALUATE The first part of the survey was launched in February for a ₭500,000 top-up phone card as an incentive 2022, and the second part was programmed to be to collect more answers. launched one week after the respondents finished All respondents received the same survey questions the first part. The survey was promoted in the except for the experimental section which was Facebook® platform where it reached 1,438,786 randomized across users that started the chatbot. people, of which 5,217 clicked on the ad and 3,169 Each respondent had a 14.3 percent chance of completed the survey. From that sample, only 2,924 getting each of the five treatment arms or a 28.6 accepted to be contacted the following week and percent chance of not getting any of them (control 1,920 completed the second part of the survey. group). Those who finished both surveys entered a raffle Figure 9: The advertisement on Facebook Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 20 Main results Our sample consisted mainly of young, educated people from Lao PDR. Forty percent of our sample was between 18 and 29 years old, 59 percent were males, and 90 percent had incomplete secondary education or above. Forty percent of the sample was from Vientiane Capital while the remaining 60 percent was from the rest of the country. 65 % Results showed that 7 out of 10 households generate two or fewer bags of waste a week, and when asked what they had done with their waste in of respondents used the waste collection the past week 65 percent of services, recycled, or reused their waste, respondents used the waste which shows that a good amount of people collection services, recycled, or reused their waste, which practice sustainable behaviors. shows that a good amount of people practice sustainable behaviors. Thirty- two percent of the total sample mentioned that in general waste was burned in their homes and this was more pronounced for those who do not have waste collection access13. In terms of frequency, 22 percent reported having burned a few times in the past week, while 78 percent reported that they did not burn at all. 13  Since the data collection was carried out through Facebook, the sample of respondents was skewed towards young, educated people, which indicates we should be careful when extrapolating the data to the country’s population. 21 Figure 10: Green circles show the percentage of people that have access to waste collection systems and those who do not. Orange circles show the percentage of people that burn waste and those who do not within each group. 32% 53% 47% DO NOT HAVE WASTE BURN DO NOT WASTE BURN WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE 68% 78% DO NOT HAVE WASTE BURN WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE 22% BURN WASTE Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 22 Within our sample, one in three people did not have 70 percent of those who burn, do it in their backyard, waste collection service. This is important since our highlighting the private modality of this behavior. survey shows that using waste collection services When asked for the reasons to burn waste: 32 strongly predicts waste burning:​ 53 percent among percent of those who burn responded that they did those that do not have this service report burning it to keep a clean house; 22 percent did not know compared to 22 percent that have it (see Figure other alternatives; 14 percent did it because people 10).​When asked why they did not have the service, around them do it; and 13 percent did it because of the top reason was lack of availability. Still, 1 in 4 a lack of access to collection service. The rest (18 respondents mention lack of awareness, high costs, percent) chose other reasons. and other reasons as the causes of not having it.​ In addition, those who have waste collection reported burning more organics while those who don’t burn more recyclables. Figure 11: Type of materials burned. Without WC With WC 40 30 20 10 19% 25% 21% 17% 12% 6% 0 ORGANIC RECYCLABLE A MIX OF THEM 23 Experimental results Results from the experiment showed that different who do not have access, while they were in those who framings on messages can influence beliefs, intentions have. In general terms, focusing the communication and behaviors. However, they impact differently in on the health consequences and monetary costs of people with or without waste collection services. In burning waste showed greater impact in changing terms of behaviors, having access matters: messages beliefs and intentions regarding burning and other were not successful in changing behaviors in those waste management practices than other framing. PEOPLE WITH WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE • People mostly think about air pollution when making recommendations. This means the consequences of burning tend to be detached from personal consequences. The experiment refined people’s concepts about burning since messages increased HOW THE awareness about damages to the environment and illegality as well as to the personal DIFFERENT costs to their health and financial costs.​ MESSAGES • More personalized messages seem to work well:​ IMPACTED 1. The message focusing on health costs increased the belief that stopping burning BELIEFS:​ waste is important by six percent in comparison to no message condition. 2. The message focusing on monetary benefits increased the belief that burning is bad for health by seven percent.​ HOW THE DIFFERENT MESSAGES • Messages tested were not successful at changing intentions​ IMPACTED INTENTIONS: HOW THE • Messages encouraged people to try other WM methods:​ DIFFERENT 1. Three of the five messages successfully increased the reuse of materials and MESSAGES avoidance of single-use plastics by eight percent relative to no message​ . IMPACTED 2. Monetary benefits message increased recycling and composting, seven BEHAVIORS:​ percent and ten percent. Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 24 PEOPLE WITHOUT WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE • The experiment refined people’s concepts about burning 2 of the 5 messages successfully increased the belief that burning is bad for health in seven percent​ relative to no message. • The experiment shifted people’s intentions to stop burning and manage waste correctly:​ 1. The information message made people commit more to stop burning​ 2. Both messages on monetary benefits and health costs made people commit more to reusing and avoiding single-use plastics • Messages tested are not successful at changing burning waste behaviors in general. • The message about health costs increased reuse practices and reduced use of single-use plastics. The prescriptive norm message also reduced the use of single-usee plastics. 25 What do people need to stop burning waste? Better waste collection time, closer points of service and communal composting sites could help . Information can also help. reducing burning​ The perceived high costs of the service is more . relevant among those with waste collection service​ . Fines are not perceived as useful​ Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 26 LEARN AND ADAPT Results from the survey suggest that different types types of personas should be receiving different of respondents have particular beliefs, intentions interventions according to their preferences. These and behaviors. In light of the results, five types personas are non-exclusive, which means that a of personas were characterized. A persona is a singular person can be characterized by more than characterization of an average type of respondent one persona and that some characteristics may be with particular beliefs and behaviors. Different shared by different personas. Figure 12. This graph shows how the different Personas are ordered according two dimensions: burning and accessing waste collection services. NO WASTE COLLECTION The Follow Your Neighbor The Money Mindful DO NOT BURN The Uninformed BURN The Ones Who Needs Access + The No-Burner WITH WASTE COLLECTION 27 The No-Burners 68% of the sample . They tend to be older, living in small households This is the group of people that do not burn waste​​ (<5 persons), in Vientiane or large cities, and with high education levels.​They do have suggestions for . They commit to recycling but those who burn. Particularly, they choose to highlight that it is illegal to burn​​ are reluctant of composting. The government should focus on enabling them to help others around WM. This can be achieved by facilitating venues for community interaction or knowledge exchange and making visible this group’s contribution to Laos sustainability. The Uninformed 18% of the sample They burn waste because they do not know how to access the waste collection system; do not think they need it; are unaware of the harm of burning waste or do not know how to handle the waste. This group is integrated by young people living in rural areas with low education levels.​In the experiment, They do they choose to not give a suggestion and are averse to responding that burning waste is illegal. ​ not think burning waste in Laos is bad for health as much as the other personas. They tend to generate two or fewer bags of waste weekly and actually compost more and recycle less than the other personas.  The focus should be on offering them information about how to manage their waste and best practices in terms of segregation and disposal. In addition, they should be taught the benefits of not burning waste. ​ The Ones Who Need Access+ ​ 24% of the sample This group presents similar characteristics to The Uninformed, but the main reason they burn waste is that they don’t have access to waste collection or part of their waste gets rejected. It is integrated mostly . In the experiment, they choose not to suggest anything and by young males living in rural areas​​ They do not think it is important to stop burning are averse of responding that burning waste is illegal. ​​ waste in Laos as much as the other personas. The focus should be on bringing access and information on waste management alternatives and benefits of not burning waste.​ Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 28 The Follow Your Neighbor 4% of the sample They are influenced by social norms, and report burning because family and friends do it. It is integrated by young people, living in large households (>5 persons), in the rural areas with low education level.​In the experiment they do not have a suggestion.​They commit to compost but not recycle and did not implement any of them. They also burn waste weekly. The government team should focus on highlighting other groups’ (such as the No-Burners) positive behaviors in terms of waste management, and make it accessible to these personas, in order to influence them. The Money Mindful 10% of the sample They burn waste because they do not want to pay collection fees or are not able to pay them. It . In the experiment, they don’t have a is integrated mostly by young, female, living in rural areas​ suggestion as much as the other personas.​Only five percent think that burning waste in Laos is bad for health, similar to all the other personas. They commit to compost but not recycle and did not implement them. The focus should be on providing information about the costs, emphasizing savings, personal and social benefit of waste collection services. Make more salient comparison between service costs and monetary, health and social costs of burning waste.​ 29 Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 30 FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS Our recommendations are based on strategies that have been applied and tested in different contexts and are recommended for Lao PDR in light of the survey results: How to communicate with people: 01. Leverage positive emotions and social norms: Taking care of the environment, one’s community, home or health, can be a strong motivator for behavioral change. Make use of The No-Burners to highlight new social norms. 02. Tailor messages to each persona bearing into account their preferences and beliefs (see table 1). Each persona has different access to the waste collection system and their influences and attitudes differ. Personalizing the communication on how to manage with waste can increase the probability of having the desired impact. 03. Focus on the benefits of not burning waste. Results show many people do not know about the personal costs of burning, and the alternative behaviors that can replace the habit of burning. Communications should emphasize the benefits of recycling, reusing and composting. 31 Table 1: How to design communications for the different Personas, so communications and policies can be effectively targeted. The The  No-Burners Uninformed ​ Communication design elements​ ​ ​ Facts about burning waste​ • • Social norms​ ​ ​ Helping others in their communities​ • ​ Information about composting​ • ​ Information about recycling​ ​ • Information about reusing​ • ​ How to properly use waste collection system​ ​ • Cost-benefit analysis​ ​ •  Non communication solutions​ ​ ​ Improve waste collection access​ ​ ​ Better collection times and points of service​ • ​ Communal composting sites​ • ​ Cheaper service​ ​ ​ Fines (low priority)​ ​ ​ Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 32 The Ones Who The Follow  The Money  Need Access +​ Your Neighbor Mindful ​ ​ ​ • • • ​ • ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ • • • • • ​ • ​ • ​ ​ ​ ​ • ​ ​ ​ • ​ ​ • ​ ​ ​ • • ​ ​ • • ​ • 33 Recommendations of the waste collection service in general: 01. Improve access to the waste collection system​and composting sites, especially in rural areas. 02. Improve frequency and points of service of the collection service where the system is already working. 03. Refine fees model. People will pay for the service when they believe the fee reflects the quality of the service. . Waste management is 04. Revise Waste Collection service practices​ a systemic issue that has to be solved in a systemic way. Private companies in waste collection, as well as start-ups that focus on sustainable alternatives, should be brought to the table to guarantee that the point of view of every stakeholder is included in the discussion. 05. Explore social mechanisms to increase popular participation (educate people with games at schools, churches, and other institutions along . with relevant community activities)​ Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 34 35 The recommendations and the journey As seen in this report, this study found that different groups emerge in terms of access to the waste collection system and the reasons they do not use it and they burn their waste. Our research highlights an important opportunity: most people commit to stop burning waste and implementing good practices for waste management. In general, people are aware of the consequences of burning waste, but lack alternatives to do otherwise. Messages may be able to modify some behaviors but other actions such as improving the waste collection system and providing alternative options to manage waste are essential. PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 CONSUMER DISPOSING FOLLOWING HABITS WASTE NORMS • Increase awareness on sustan- • Increase awareness of different • Highlight the No-Burners able behaviors options of waste management habits & experience according to personas • Develop economic benefits for • Make use of influential choosing alternatives to plastic • Facilitate bins for separation figures to promote and composting sustanable behaviors • Develop incentives to producers for eliminating • Increase awareness on the per- • Explore social plastic in products sonal consequences of burning mechanisms to increase popular participation  (educate people with games at schools, churches, and other institutions along with relevant community activities) Behavioral Insights to Reduce Open Waste Burning in Lao PDR 36 PHASE 4 PHASE 5 EVALUATING ACCESING PARTIAL OPTIONS WASTE COLLECTION • Refine fees model for each kind • Improve the waste collection of persona system and composting sites • People will pay for the service • Improve frequency and when they believe the fee re- points of service for collection flects the quality of the service • Make clear how it works • Evaluate the role of informal workers and community organizations 37 ABOUT eMBeD The Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBeD), the World Bank’s behavioral science team in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice, works closely with project teams, governments, and other partners to diagnose, design, and evaluate behaviorally informed interventions. By collaborating with a worldwide network of scientists and practitioners, the eMBeD team provides answers to important economic and social questions and contributes to the global effort to eliminate poverty and enhance equity.