Consumer as a source of marine litter: Eye-tracking research in Baltic Sea coastal area

This part is one of the research components for the Ph.D. thesis of geographical sustainable consumption which analyzes the influence of daily household waste causing a significant increase in marine litter. According to the "Marine Litter Socio-economic" study typical items founded on urban beaches usually are bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic food containers, wrappers, and plastic cutlery. In general, 48% of marine litter is caused by household-related waste and 70% of marine litter are plastics in the Baltic Sea (UN Environment, 2017; Helcom, 2018ad).

The main aim of this socio-economic research part is to investigate consumer as a source of marine litter in the Baltic Sea (pilot: Lithuania). It combines both qualitative and quantitative methods. Eye-tracker assists in the analysis of gaze points data which is collected on the beach photos with marine litter (focus on macro litter). Semi-structured interviews provide more in-depth insights about consumer behavior and habits. 

Thus, the main goal of this research is to find out and introduce awareness-raising activities among consumers that minimize marine litter and prevent waste generation behavior. To sum up, it is interdisciplinary research that combines three different areas: physical geography, environmental protection, and marketing with a special focus on consumer behavior.