Korean household waste management and recycling behavior

Abstract

The rapid industrial and economic development in the recent several decades has caused serious environmental problems in Korea. The country has very limited carrying capacity; the population density in Korea is 481 people per km 2, ranking the third-highest in the world [1]. In 1995, the Korean government implemented a volume-based waste fee system (unit pricing system) that required every household to purchase certified plastic bags for waste disposal [2]. Consequently, since the introduction of this regulation, household solid waste in Korea has been substantially decreased, and household recycling has been increased. This study is to examine current Korean household recycling and waste management behavior and explore factors that affect those behaviors. Data was gathered though a survey conducted in Seoul, Korea. For the data analysis, 196 responses were used. The impacts of several factors on recycling and waste management behaviors including NEP (New Environmental Paradigm), attitudes for recycling and waste management, and the respondents’ demographic variables were examined. To analyze the data, correlations and multiple regressional analyses were conducted using SPSS 16. The results showed that environmental attitudes affected recycling and waste management behaviors significantly along with several demographic variables.