Household waste separation intention and the importance of public policy

Bing Chen,Jiwon Lee

doi:10.1108/itpd-03-2020-0008

Abstract

PurposeThe key challenge that urban cities in most developing and transitional economies is confronting is municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Waste separation is a critical component to successful recycling management in terms of enhancing the quality of recyclables, reducing MSW and optimizing incineration. The urge to actualizing sustained waste separation behavior has been hindered by potential barriers. This study aims to examine the influences of external and internal stimuli of targeted households' waste separation intention in parts of China.Design/methodology/approachA multifactor framework predicting the process that leads to waste separation attitude and behavioral intention is proposed. SEM analysis is conducted in SmartPLS based on 371 survey questionnaires collected in Nanning city in China.FindingsPolicy regulation is the biggest determinant of attitude among external stimuli, while awareness of consequence has the strongest relationship with an attitude among internal stimuli. Facilitating conditions, subjective norms and moral norms are all significant predictors of attitude. As a result, increasing positive attitude leads to enhance waste separation lifestyle.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adopts a cross-sectional design to investigate the waste separation intention of local households. Data collection is restricted to one point in time for every individual. A mixed method is recommended. Quantitative research can examine variables provided in existing literature with numerical analysis. Qualitative research might be helpful to identify other unknown factors. Also, the survey questionnaires employ a self-reported manner, and respondents might be overrating to avoid embarrassment.Practical implicationsFuture research is recommended to engage observation at houses or at the waste-collecting points for actual waste separation behavior. Moreover, this study measures intention toward household waste separation, but whether this intention will eventually lead to waste separation behavior is not a guarantee. Future study is recommended to examine whether intention translates into actual waste separation behavior.Originality/valueEmphasizing the importance of policy element as a direct influence toward attitude, this paper focuses on the waste separation attitude accumulated from external and internal stimuli, and, concurrently, waste separation behavioral intention is influenced by accumulated attitudes. The study provides relevant policy development information of three Asian countries to enhance their present and future policy directions for a sustainable household waste separation management process

Highlights

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the life-threatening issues
The key challenge of municipal solid waste (MSW) management confronting urban cities in most developing and transitional economies has become a priority for governments all over the world (Sukholthaman and Sharp, 2016)
One of the key solutions is recycling. It will reduce MSW, as waste separation is a critical component to a successful recycling management in terms of enhancing the quality of recyclables, and will optimize incineration (Zhuang et al, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the life-threatening issues. The key challenge of MSW management confronting urban cities in most developing and transitional economies has become a priority for governments all over the world (Sukholthaman and Sharp, 2016). This study develops a research framework combing external and internal stimuli as motivational determinants of one’s waste separation attitude, and how these factors are reflected in households waste separation intention. Internal stimuli are motivations originating from one’s internal values, controls and cognition, which include moral norm, self-efficacy and awareness of consequence This model proposes that these external and internal stimuli combine and influence individual’s attitude together and, in turn, affect one’s intention to separation waste. There are nine variables in total in the research framework: attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy, facilitating condition, moral norm, awareness of consequence, incentives, policy regulation and intention to separate waste at source. Attitude and intention to separate waste at source have the strongest relationship among all eight path coefficient results (see Table 6)

Discussion and limitations

Findings

Result