Citizen Science to Collect Tobacco Waste: Exploring the Usability of Two Protocols

An emerging area of research is the impact of tobacco product waste (TPW) on the environment. Waste product assessment is of great interest to public health professionals and communities, and methods to collect waste products can easily lend themselves to community participation. Indeed, waste product collection can mobilize communities, but a standard methodology for collecting and assessing waste does not exist. This study utilizes two existing protocols for TPW collections across residential environments to determine the operational usability of these methods for citizen scientists (i.e., ease, time, and process of data collection). Citizen scientists surveyed two residential areas in Central California using two debris survey protocols (A and B). After waste products were recorded, citizen scientists were interviewed on their views about and experience with both protocols. Both protocols had strengths and suggested areas of improvement. This area of investigation is well suited to the citizen scientist approach of data collection, particularly in areas with fewer available resources. Moreover, this work can be utilized to motivate tobacco control efforts by highlighting how community-based TPW collection methods can support tobacco prevention and promote effective policy enforcement, with the ultimate goal of protecting community and environmental health.