Investigating the influencing factors of incentive-based household waste recycling using structural equation modelling

Abstract

Household waste recycling management is one of the primary challenges of urban development. Incentive-based recycling systems have been used worldwide to increase the willingness of residents to take part in waste recycling. However, the factors that influence the amount of recyclables collected under the current incentive-based recycling systems have not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, the relationships between influencing factors and recycling behaviour were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling under a proposed analysis framework. A real-world case study in Shanghai of China was employed to demonstrate the framework's effectiveness. Six major observations were uncovered based on the studied communities: (1) The amount of recyclables collected increased by 190.9% during the pilot period of the new incentive-based recycling policy. (2) The recycling promotion effect of the new policy reached a peak after approximately three months during the pilot period. (3) Recycling motivation and publicity efforts improved recycling behaviour significantly, but the sense of community belonging and exogenous factors like rainy days and holidays did not necessarily have direct impacts on recycling behaviour. (4) Recycling motivation significantly mediated the relationship between the sense of community belonging and waste recycling behaviour. (5) Although publicity efforts in the studied communities did not necessarily enhance recycling motivation, publicity efforts promoted recycling behaviour significantly in the incentive-based recycling system in Shanghai. (6) Although the studied recycling company has made substantial efforts to formulate attractive recycling prices, its current pricing mechanism still has much room for improvement. This analysis framework and our observations offer insights for government authorities to move towards an enhanced incentive-based recycling system.