Kohima: Community expectations and social norms play a significant role in shaping how people handle plastic waste in Nagaland, according to a study by Nagaland University.
The study, conducted across Kohima, Dimapur and Chümoukedima, found that community norms were the strongest correlate of self-reported plastic-handling practices. The findings suggest that efforts to address plastic pollution need to go beyond awareness campaigns and work through trusted local institutions and community networks.
Researchers surveyed 226 residents across the three districts between June and December 2025. The study also included open-ended responses from 131 respondents and in-depth interviews with 10 participants.
The findings showed that people’s attitudes towards plastic waste were also associated with their reported behaviour. Cultural values were found to be a correlate, although researchers cautioned that the measure used had low reliability and should not be considered a proven independent driver.
The study also highlighted a gap between awareness and action. Respondents strongly agreed that plastic is harmful to the environment, recording an average score of 4.77 out of five. However, scores for access to waste-disposal facilities and confidence in segregating waste were considerably lower, at approximately 2.7 to 3.2.
“Residents identified lack of awareness, inadequate infrastructure and weak enforcement among the major barriers to responsible plastic-waste management,” said Prof Prabhakar Sharma, Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Nagaland University.
The researchers noted that perceived control over waste disposal did not independently predict self-reported behaviour once community norms were considered. However, they stressed that this did not mean infrastructure was unimportant, with residents continuing to identify inadequate waste-management systems as a major practical barrier.
The qualitative findings pointed to Nagaland’s traditional community practices as a potential foundation for addressing plastic pollution. Participants said traditional beliefs and practices encouraged cleanliness and responsible living, although these traditions had not been developed to address the scale of contemporary plastic waste.
The researchers suggested that village councils, religious organisations and youth groups could help translate existing community values into modern environmental practices.
Prof Gyanendra Nath Tiwari, Head of the Department of Teacher Education, said residents most frequently suggested greater awareness, improved waste-management infrastructure and stricter enforcement as solutions. Other suggestions included promoting reduce, reuse and recycle practices, community clean-up drives and incentives.
The researchers recommended an integrated approach combining better waste collection and segregation systems with community-based action and enforcement.
The study, co-authored by Sharma and Tiwari, was published in the open-access journal Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. The publication fee was supported through the Government of India’s One Nation One Subscription initiative.
The researchers cautioned that the study was based on self-reported behaviour and did not establish cause-and-effect relationships. The sample was also relatively young and male and therefore may not represent Nagaland’s wider population.
They called for longitudinal studies, validation of self-reported practices against observed behaviour and infrastructure, and further research into how infrastructure may influence behaviour indirectly by shaping community norms.
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