Methodologies
Historical Practices
Historical Practices of Household Plastic Waste Management
Life History Interviews
Hour-long life history interviews are conducted with 15 women over the age of 70 in each country. These interviews explore (a) how women managed specific household tasks before the introduction of plastics, (b) how the use of plastics has changed the pace of daily life and possibly made certain household tasks easier, and (c) how environmental discussions were expressed and understood within the household.
Archival Search
The archival search examines women’s magazines (such as Her World in Singapore, Shufu no Tomo in Japan, and Women’s Weekly in Australia), policy documents, mass media including newspapers and radio programs, as well as advertising campaigns. The research is conducted primarily at the National Archives of Singapore and the National Library in Singapore, the National Diet Library in Tokyo, and the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
Digital Practices
Digital Practices of Household Plastic Waste Management
Online Data Analytics
Online data analytics of trending sentiments about plastic waste on social media will provide insights into public attitudes and related topics. This online discourse reflects current practices and can influence broader public opinions on plastic-related issues. We analyse both images and text to understand how individuals frame and express their purchasing decisions and recycling behaviours in the digital space.
In-depth Interviews
Interviewees are recruited through snowball sampling and recruitment posts in well-known public environmental groups online. In these in-depth interviews, participants share their waste and recycling practices, along with their reflections on plastic-related discourse encountered online, in the media, and in policy documents. They also reflect on their use of digital platforms and apps in their past, current, and intended practices. By combining online analytics with interviews, we analyse household and gender dynamics, as well as online sentiments, to understand how they influence current and intended practices of household waste management.
Social Practices of Household Plastic Waste Management
Household Ethnographies
This research involves three key components: (1) preliminary interviews, (2) photovoice interviews focused on grocery shopping, and (3) plastic sorting and follow-up interviews. At each site, we will begin with 30-minute interviews with 30 households, exploring grocery shopping habits, food management, and waste handling. In each household, at least two members will be interviewed to provide comparative perspectives, including women in various roles (full-time homemakers, part-time workers, full-time workers) and domestic workers where applicable. The goal is to understand the complex social and cultural factors shaping household practices around plastic waste.
Photovoice, a participatory qualitative method, will be used to engage participants by having them take photos documenting their grocery shopping experiences over a week. These photos will then be used to guide follow-up interviews aimed at exploring plastic consumption and participant-led solutions. In some cases, participants will be observed while shopping to further understand their decision-making processes.
Large-n survey
A secondary method for all three sites is an online survey designed to analyse household practices and attitudes. It will include socioeconomic measures (e.g. gender, household income, dwelling type, ethnicity, education), pro-environmental consumption practices (Barr 2012), and climate change evaluations. No study has yet provided comparative and transnational insights into household consumption and its impact on plastic waste. The survey will use online panels with quotas based on ethnicity and dwelling type in Singapore, and region, dwelling type, and income for Japan and Australia. A sample size of N=1000 in each country will ensure diverse representation across key demographics.