Reducing single-use packaging and plastic
The Reducing single-use packaging and plastic survey looks at how single-use items show up in everyday life and how ready people are to cut them out. It measures usage, which items dominate, how easy alternatives are to find, the barriers that keep disposables in play, and concrete readiness for the month ahead. Use it to design nudges, refill options and policies that fit real habits.
What the “Reducing single-use packaging and plastic” survey measures
The questionnaire captures how often people use single-use packaging or plastic and which items lead — shopping bags, water bottles, coffee cups, cutlery, straws, delivery containers, snack trays, napkins and wet wipes. It rates current effort to reduce, how easy it is to find alternatives where people shop or order, and the barriers holding them back (alternatives hard to find or pricier, inconvenient to carry reusables, forgetting them, no way to wash containers, places refusing personal containers, delivery defaulting to disposables, doubt about real impact). It then measures which reduction methods people are ready to use more often and, through a readiness matrix, how likely they are to take specific actions in the next month — from carrying a reusable bag to choosing “no cutlery / minimal packaging” delivery.
Who the “Reducing single-use packaging and plastic” template is for
It suits retailers and grocery chains, cafés and food-service operators, delivery and takeaway platforms, packaging and refill startups, municipal waste-reduction programmes, and sustainability or CSR teams. It is useful when launching a refill or bring-your-own scheme, adjusting delivery packaging defaults, or measuring whether an anti-plastic campaign shifts intentions into action.
How to adapt the template to your needs
Trim the item list to what your business touches — a café keeps cups, straws and cutlery; a grocer keeps bags and bulk. Reword the ease-of-alternatives question to your channel (in-store, app checkout, counter). The next-month readiness matrix can become a commitment device: keep only actions you can actually support, and add a follow-up on what would make each easier. Branch so people who say reduction is not important skip the readiness matrix.
Questions and answer options
Answer options:
— Almost every day
— Several times a week
— About once a week
— Less than once a week
— Almost never
— Hard to say
Answer options:
— Store shopping bags
— Plastic bottles for water/drinks
— Disposable coffee cups/lids
— Disposable cutlery (fork/spoon/knife)
— Straws/stirrers
— Takeaway delivery packaging (containers, sauce sachets)
— Ready-to-eat/snack packaging (trays, film)
— Disposable napkins/wet wipes
Answer options:
— Actively reducing and almost always choosing alternatives
— Mostly trying, but not always successful
— Sometimes trying, without a routine
— Hardly trying
— I don’t consider it important
— Hard to say
Answer options:
— Alternatives are hard to find nearby
— Alternatives are more expensive
— It’s inconvenient to carry reusables (container/bag/bottle)
— I often forget to bring reusable items
— No opportunity to wash/prepare reusable containers
— Some places don’t accept personal containers
— Delivery/ready-made food is almost always in single-use packaging
— I’m not sure what actually reduces waste (doubts about impact)
Answer options:
— Carry a reusable shopping bag/tote
— Use a reusable water bottle
— Bring drinks in my own mug/thermos cup
— Take food to go in my own container (if accepted)
— Choose products with less packaging (when possible)
— Buy in bulk / use refill options (where available)
— Refuse disposable cutlery/straws (if not needed)
— Choose delivery without cutlery/minimal packaging (if available)
Answer options:
— Always carry a reusable shopping bag
— Use a reusable bottle more often
— Refuse disposable cutlery/straws when not needed
— Choose delivery “without cutlery/minimal packaging” if the option exists
— Buy some items in bulk / via refill options if available
Similar survey templates
Frequently asked questions
