Does Information Change Public Support for a Deposit–Refund System? Experimental Evidence from Plastic Bottle Recycling in Ghana

Sammanfattning

Plastic pollution remains a growing environmental challenge in Ghana, where rising plastic consumption has outpaced waste-management and recycling capacity. This thesis examines whether information about plastic pollution affects public support for a proposed Deposit–Refund System (DRS) for plastic bottles. Using a randomized information experiment among 814 students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the study estimates the effect of information provision on DRS acceptability and willingness to pay (WTP) a refundable deposit. The control group received basic information on how a DRS works, whereas the treatment group received the same explanation supplemented with information about plastic pollution in Ghana. The results provide limited evidence that information provision increases support for the proposed DRS. Institutional trust is related to higher acceptability of the proposed DRS; however, information treatment does not generate a stronger response among respondents with higher trust. Similarly, female respondents report slightly higher WTP on average, but the results do not show a consistent gender difference in response to the treatment. The findings have important implications for the design of DRS communication and implementation strategies, particularly in developing-country contexts where public support may depend not only on environmental awareness, but also on trust in the system, refund reliability, and the perceived burden of participation.