Recycling Intention and Behavior among Low-Income Households

Abdullah Al Mamun,Muhammad Mohiuddin,Syed Fazal,Ramayah Thurasamy,Ghazali Ahmad

doi:10.3390/su10072407

Abdullah Al Mamun, Muhammad Mohiuddin + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072407

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Abstract

To improve our knowledge of how to protect the environment, this study examined the factors that influence recycling intention and behavior among low-income households. The study adopted a cross-sectional design that relied on 380 low-income households who live in coastal Peninsular Malaysia. The findings revealed a positive effect of eco-literacy, environmental concern, and self-efficacy on the attitude towards environmentally friendly products. Subsequently, the findings also illustrated a positive effect of normative beliefs on subjective norms. Moreover, the results revealed a positive effect of attitude towards environmentally friendly products and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on recycling intention. Finally, there was a positive effect of both PBC and recycling intention on recycling behavior. Although this study’s focus on a specific income group from a single country could limit generalizability; the findings nevertheless provide scholars and policymakers with significant insights into promoting recycling activities, which are expected to contribute to the environment and reduce the environmental and economic vulnerability among low-income households. Therefore, environmental and socio-economic development organizations should assess the feasibility of recycling materials and develop a supportive system that facilitates and encourages recycling activities.

Highlights

Environmental pollution and degradation are major causes of social problems for both present and future generations
Drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study focused on the dimensions of attitude that were relevant to both the TPB and recycling; and thereby following theory and existing literature [21,27], this study adopted three dimensions of attitude represented by self-efficacy, eco-literary, and environmental concern
The findings showed that attitude towards environmentally friendly products had a positive effect on recycling intention (H1, Beta = 0.324, p-value of

Summary

Introduction

Environmental pollution and degradation are major causes of social problems for both present and future generations. Kutting [1] and Habib [2] asserted that every individual is under threat as no urgent solutions to environmental problems are available for which the capitalist system and consumer society are responsible. One of the implications of adaptation to global environmental changes is in the form of economic and social vulnerability. Both poverty and marginalization are key driving forces of vulnerability that prevent individuals from coping with long-term adaptation to climate change [3]. In Malaysia, environmental issues impact economic vulnerability directly, thereby reducing agricultural productivity and food security [4,5]

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