Abstract
The number of local governments introducing the ”litter-picking SNS App” is increasing in Japan. This SNS app, “Pirika” enables visualization of littering and was developed by the environmental start-up in Japan, Pirika. Residents post about picking up litter on SNS, allowing trash’s specific location and frequency to be registered. Furthermore, the app includes features that promote connections between people and increase incentives for litter collection. This app's introduction is expected to promote a circular economy. While its benefits are anticipated, its effectiveness evaluation has not been fully understood. This study aims to examine the following: 1) What are the objectives of introducing litter-picking SNS? 2) How do the local governments evaluate the outcomes? 3) What is the social impact? The social impact will be examined based on survey results.
The results showed that the introduction promotes environmental beautification movements and raises awareness of litter problems among residents. In addition, the results also showed that the social impact on private companies with regional bases is also being recognized
