In a previous article, we discussed the characteristics of successful awareness campaigns aimed at reducing littering in public areas, noting that the vast majority of Jordanians already recognize that this behavior is wrong, the issue therefore has never been a lack of values or knowledge, but rather the gap between what people believe and what they actually practice when moving from the home into public spaces, a gap that becomes especially visible in the contrast between the great care many households devote to keeping their homes clean and the relative neglect shown toward streets, parks, and shared facilities.

 

This contrast is neither random nor unique to Jordan, behavioral science explains it through what can be described as a relatability gap, people tend to feel responsible for what they perceive as personally theirs, while distancing themselves from what they view as a collective responsibility, the home is a personal space closely tied to identity and social image, whereas public areas are often treated as an administrative domain managed by municipalities and public institutions, when responsibility is mentally shifted outward behavior changes even if values remain intact, which is why awareness campaigns that appeal only to conscience often fall short of altering everyday conduct.

 

If the goal is to address this gap, intervention must begin in the environment where concepts of responsibility are formed before individuals face daily decisions on the street, schools emerge here as a pivotal setting, because they are where habits are built and patterns of responsibility are learned, in most schools students are not involved in maintaining cleanliness, classrooms and corridors are cleaned by designated staff without student participation, which makes cleanliness feel detached from students’ own behavior and prevents a direct connection from forming between their actions and the condition of the space around them.

 

There is a different model that can fundamentally reshape this perception, one that involves students themselves taking responsibility for cleaning classrooms and shared areas through a rotating system where classes take turns, cleanliness then becomes a collective practice rather than a service provided to students, this does not mean eliminating the role of janitorial staff, but redefining it into a supervisory and organizational role that ensures safety and quality while accompanying students during the process, the importance of this approach does not lie in cleaning itself, but in involving students in responsibility, so they come to understand that the state of the place is a direct result of their behavior rather than a task carried out by others on their behalf, it is worth noting that such practices were common in Jordan during the 1960s and 1970s, and their impact on the cleanliness of cities and public facilities at the time was clearly visible.

 

When students experience firsthand the effort required to maintain a clean environment, a simple yet profound mental rule begins to form, cleanliness does not happen automatically, it is the result of accumulated behavior, over time their relationship with space is reshaped, the classroom becomes a place they feel connected to, and damaging it is seen as a breach of shared responsibility, this mindset does not remain confined within school walls, but extends naturally to how streets, parks, and public transportation are perceived and treated.

 

This effect also reaches into the family sphere, students who develop this sense of responsibility at school often carry it home, beginning to question behaviors they once accepted without reflection, such as throwing trash from a car window or leaving public areas dirty, in many Jordanian households such observations carry particular weight because they touch on example, upbringing, and self-image, in this way responsibility learned through practice moves from school to home and then back into the street, creating a social loop that awareness campaigns alone struggle to activate.

 

This does not diminish the importance of awareness campaigns, messaging remains necessary, especially when it reinforces emerging social norms, but it remains limited in impact if not supported by practical experiences that reshape the sense of responsibility, behavior changes more deeply and sustainably when it becomes part of a person’s identity rather than a temporary response to reminders or warnings.

 

At its core, littering is not merely a cleanliness issue but a relationship issue with place, the more distant people feel from public areas, the weaker their sense of responsibility toward them becomes, bridging this distance cannot be achieved through slogans alone, but through early and repeated experiences that bring public spaces closer to the self.

 

If streets are to be treated with the same care as living rooms, the lesson cannot begin on the street itself, it must begin in the places where responsibility is formed, practiced, and normalized, when students grow up understanding that cleanliness is not someone else’s job, their relationship with public space changes naturally, and the street gradually ceases to be someone else’s problem.

 

Zaid K. Maaytah - Researcher in economics and behavioral policy