Print eyes on packaging to reduce littering say Newcastle researchers

People are less likely to drop litter if it has eyes printed on it, researchers have found.

People less likely to litter if eyes are printed on the paper. Image by Mike Mozart / CC BY 2.0

A study by Newcastle University revealed if a leaflet featured watching eyes then the odds of it being dropped on the floor were reduced by around two thirds.

The research follows up previous studies, which found that having posters of watching eyes reduced bike thefts and littering, and it is thought it could be used to encourage fast food outlets to incorporate eyes into their packaging to reduce litter.

(Press Association)