Abstract:
Plastic pollution represents a severe and escalating environmental and social challenge in urban areas such as Colombo, Sri Lanka, where rapid urbanization, population density, and inadequate waste management infrastructure contribute to high volumes of mismanaged plastic waste. This results in marine ecosystem degradation, soil contamination, microplastic infiltration into food chains, and disproportionate health and economic burdens on marginalized communities. This study assesses the effectiveness of community-based educational campaigns in fostering sustainable plastic consumption behaviors among urban households, employing a sociological framework to analyze behavior change through mechanisms like social learning, community cohesion, and cultural integration. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research encompassed pre-
and post-intervention surveys of 150 households across two socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods Wellawatte (middle-income) and Mattakkuliya (low-income) supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 20 community leaders and residents. The intervention
involved a four-week program featuring interactive workshops, localized social media campaigns in Sinhala and Tamil, and participatory clean-up drives, tailored to incorporate Sri Lankan cultural elements such as Buddhist principles of non-harm (ahimsa) and communal harmony to boost engagement and receptivity. Quantitative outcomes demonstrated a 25% overall reduction in single-use plastic consumption (from an average of 10 bags per week per household to 7.5), a 71% increase in reusable item adoption (from 35% to 60% of households), and an 83% rise in regular recycling participation (from 30% to 55%), alongside a 50% improvement in environmental awareness scores (from a
mean of 2.8 to 4.2 on a 5-point Likert scale). Qualitative findings illuminated the pivotal role of peer modeling and collective efficacy in driving change, while underscoring persistent barriers including economic constraints, infrastructural deficiencies, and gender-based disparities in waste management responsibilities. Socioeconomic differences were pronounced, with middle-income areas achieving a 28% reduction compared to 22% in low-income zones, highlighting the moderating influence of resource access. The results affirm the potential of sociologically grounded interventions to advance circular economy principles such as reduce, reuse, and recycle and align with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action). By providing empirical insights into scalable, community-led strategies, this Colombo case study contributes to global and regional discourses on mitigating plastic pollution, emphasizing the integration of social sciences in environmental policy and practice for long-term behavioral and systemic transformations.
