Household Recycling Behavior Research Articles

Factors Influencing Household Recycling Behavior in Lima, Peru: Insights for Social Marketing Strategies

ABSTRACT The main objective of this study is to find out what factors impact household recycling behavior with the aim to guide the development of a social marketing strategy to promote this behavior. The study was based on a structural equation model using the three factors that make up the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In addition, four more variables were analyzed: environmental awareness, moral standards, situational factors, and recycling service and infrastructure. The results of 254 valid questionnaires reveal that the subjective norm – or social pressure – was the only variable of the TPB to affect recycle intention significantly. Considering the role social pressure has on recycling behavior, it is necessary to implement a social marketing strategy that maximizes the visibility of this activity and include the participation of the community as much as possible.

Changes in household recycling behavior: Evidence from panel data

This article uses a longitudinal national U.S. dataset with 232,309 pairs of same-household observations to estimate one-year or two-year changes in recycling behavior. Most households recycled at least one material, as 83% recycle paper, cans, glass, or plastic in the past year, with an average recycling rate of 2.8 materials. Recycling habits are stable, as 68% of households do not change the number of materials recycled from the previous year. Changes in county recycling are reflected in immediate changes in household behavior but at 25% of the change in the county recycling rate. Recycling rates are greater after being newly exposed to deposit laws (+7%), moving to a state with effective recycling laws (+6%), or newly available single-stream recycling (+4%). If market prices for the returned cans doubled, household recycling of cans would increase by 12%, although price responsiveness of recycling other materials is less. Shocks to the household may diminish recycling in the short term, including marriage (−2%), arrival of a newborn (−1%), and either large increase in income (−1%) or large decrease in income (−3%). The estimates for the total number of materials and which particular materials a household recycles follow similar patterns.

Factors moderating the effect of financial incentives on household recycling: A motivation crowding perspective

Prior research has shown considerable variability in the impact of financial incentive interventions on household recycling behavior, but it remains unclear which factors determine the effect of incentive policies. Building on the motivation crowding framework, this study explores how intrapersonal, interpersonal, and policy framing factors moderate the incentive effect on household recycling. Theoretical propositions were evaluated using quasi-experimental data from an incentivized recycling program in Quzhou, China. Although the program increased the recycling levels of residents, it reduced individuals' intrinsic motivation to protect the environment and, through this, exerted a negative indirect effect on recycling behavior. Such motivation crowding out was more salient among people with higher levels of environmental self-identity or self-efficacy and those embedded in stronger neighbor ties or social norms. Consequently, the incentive program was less effective in promoting recycling behavior among these subpopulations. Framing the program in an environmentally beneficial way did not affect its motivational and behavioral influences. Overall, the results extend knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying the performance of incentive policies and the conditions that affect policy effectiveness.

Resource accounting for a circular economy: evidence from a digitalised waste management system

ABSTRACT The transition to a circular economy requires accounting for all resource streams in the economy to facilitate the maintenance of these resources at their highest value and utility for as long as possible. In this paper, we investigate the role of resource accounting tools and practices in driving the transition to a circular economy by measuring resource streams and taking measures to promote circularity in those resource streams. In particular, we focus on (1) the role of digitalised resource accounting systems in enabling the identification and reporting of resource streams, and (2) the effect of using such information to incentivize household recycling behavior to promote more circularity in resource streams. Our empirical setting is the development of a digitalised waste management system in Western Norway. Our research design has three empirical pillars: qualitative interviews of managers in the industry, historical data analyses of waste generation and recycling, and two illustrative large-scale natural quasi-experiments on more than 170,000 households' recycling behavior. Our study illuminates the development of the resource accounting system and demonstrates the effect of using resource accounting information to incentivize households' recycling behavior through experimentation with a “pay-as-you-throw” (PAYT) system. Our findings show the manner in which the resource accounting system enabled measurement of resource streams and the use of that resource information to promote circularity among households. Furthermore, our experiments reveal the effectiveness of using resource accounting data for incentivizing recycling behavior. Thus, our study illuminates the role of accounting in the transition to a circular economy.

Optimizing the number and location of household waste collection sites by multi-maximal covering location model: An empirical study in Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

Convenience has consistently been perceived as one of the crucial determinants of household recycling behavior in source separation systems studied over the last several decades. Although residents' accessibility to collection sites significantly affects household recycling behavior, allocating the collection sites for household waste is complex for policymakers. It requires balancing between residents' needs and the limited budgetary and human resources of local government and consideration of waste management policies. This article proposes the multi-maximal covering location model (MMCLM) to solve the waste collection site allocation problem based on residents' satisfaction while considering the capacity of municipal services. In this study, MMCLM was applied in Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, a city with more than 25 years of successful experience in implementing household recycling. Six scenarios were developed to allocate recyclable waste collection sites. With 10 new sites, there was a more than 5% improvement in average access distance to drop off waste for all households. 30 new sites could effectively reduce the average access distance by 72.4% for 324 households who currently have to walk more than 10 min, and 8.0% of the average access distance for all residents. Low requirements for input datasets and flexible parameters adjustment make MMCLM more feasible in various contexts, especially for small to medium-sized cities or developing regions.

Exploring business models for carbon emission reduction via post-consumer recycling infrastructures in Beijing: An agent-based modelling approach

The potential for carbon emissions avoidance through post-consumer recycling has been highlighted in the "Zero-Waste City" initiatives in China, which call for increasing household participation in the community recycling programs. A shift from a facility-oriented strategy to behavior-oriented norm building at the community level provides the local niches for emerging business models in post-consumer recycling. This paper proposes a framework based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to simulate the impact on the participation rate of households in community-based recycling program in the context of different recycling business models in Beijing. Firstly, a questionnaire survey was conducted in 2021 in Beijing (N = 1153) to test the key factors which affect household recycling behavior. Secondly, an agent-based model for community-based recycling which was developed in 2016 has been updated to incorporate the institutional change in the development of zero-waste city initiatives. Scenario analysis is adopted to compare the effects of introducing two new business models to the baseline situation that is prevalent at present. The settings for the two new business models represent the diversified directions of the upgrading of urban recycling sector: one is to improve the intelligence of the collection facilities to save labors, and the other is to involve the informal recyclers to provide door-to-door collection services in person so as to save time for the residents. Additional scenario shows the effects of norm-based solutions in combination with the two strategies addressed above in the long run. The simulation results show that the potential for carbon emissions reduction through post-consumer recycling in Beijing can range from 1 million tons per year at the basic scenario to more than 4.5 million tons per year in the community level norm-based solution scenario. In conclusion, the proposal for sustaining the community-based new business models through the capture of value in the carbon emission reduction is put forward as a guideline for urban recycling infrastructure design.

Drivers of Household Recycling Behavior in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa

This paper has assessed the relationship between recycling behavior and socio-demographic variables for households in Johannesburg, South Africa. The research also identified the underlying driving factors that motivate recyclers to separate their household waste for recycling. These objectives were addressed by means of a quantitative survey research design as well as descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Based on the results, the statements that represented attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, moral norms, situational factors, outcomes, and consequences of recycling were highly agreed to by respondents. Three factors influencing household recycling behavior were identified, namely, recycling benefits, perceived control, and situational variables. The recycling benefits construct explained 45.6% of the variance, followed by the perceived control construct (12%) and the situational variables construct explained 11% of the variance. However, the results of the EFA and multiple regression identified the situational variable as the greatest single driver of household participation in recycling. It is therefore important to overcome situational barriers that the residents of Johannesburg are currently facing if the current household waste separating program is to become successful. This would require simplifying the process of household recycling by providing appropriate knowledge, infrastructure, and the space for waste sorting and its collection.

Citizen Coherence and Cultivated Cleanliness: Using Technology-Induced Social Norms to Strengthen Sustainable Household Bonds

Social identity and social capital are critical to human well-being and sustainable development. However, existing research on sustainable behavior typically treats these factors merely as taken-for-granted preconditions to environmental protection. This paper argues that they can also be direct outcomes of environment-oriented efforts, thus becoming drivers of sustainable societies. As part of a larger research project on household recycling and waste behavior, the authors assess and compare perceived social identity and social capital of residents in a multi-family residential dwelling in Sweden before (N = 66) and after (N = 18) exposure to a social norm-based intervention delivered through a smartphone app. Reported levels of social identity and social capital were higher after (vs. before) the intervention, both compared to participants' own previous measurement and a control group. Together, the current research offers a novel perspective on technology-enabled social norms. Specifically, such norms may not only create sustainable responses immediately, but may also play a pivotal role in shaping more sustainable communities in the long run. Future studies are needed to elucidate the specific psychological mechanisms driving the observed effects and shed further light on whether, when, and why social norms may foster sustainable responses with a clear social connotation.

Exploring Factors Promoting Recycling Behavior in Student Housing

As climate-related issues are important and concern all aspects of the built environment, there is a need to better understand the motives underlying household recycling behavior. The purpose of the present study is twofold: to investigate factors important for explaining the recycling behavior of young people and to explore respondents’ own ideas regarding barriers to recycling. This paper reports on a survey conducted from 2020 to 2021 among residents of student housing in Stockholm, Sweden. Eight hypotheses were formulated based on earlier research and a model was constructed. Answers from 1202 respondents were first analyzed by logistic regression to test factors affecting respondents’ self-reported recycling of paper, plastic, glass, and metal. Results show that the full model containing all predictors was statistically significant. The results showed that only four of the hypotheses were confirmed. Positive attitude toward recycling, personal norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived convenience of recycling are positively affecting recycling behavior. In addition, 673 open answers were analyzed to provide information on unforeseen factors of importance for recycling behavior. This study adds to research by testing factors affecting recycling behaviors in a national context and by identifying new possible factors of importance. The results are also of benefit to business practitioners within the construction sector or within facility management in identifying activities that would add to sustainable development.

Changes in Household Recycling Behavior: Evidence from Panel Data

Changes in Household Recycling Behavior: Evidence from Panel Data

Evaluation of models for household recycling behaviour in high-rise buildings: A Chinese case study in urban Guangzhou.

Recycling strategies and waste management for the source separation of recyclables are still in their infancy in China and many other developing countries. Unlike formal recycling systems with strictly regulated management in high-income countries, waste management and recycling activities in low-income and middle-income countries are predominantly informal. Formal recycling systems often have very small amounts of recyclables in comparison to informal recycling systems. Considering the Chinese case of urban Guangzhou, where formal and informal recycling systems coexist, this study investigated household recycling behaviour and explored the sociodemographic and contextual factors that affect this behaviour. Based on data collected through questionnaire surveys and interviews, a model of the use of public recycling facilities (UPRF) and a model of the use of informal recycling sectors (UIRS) were evaluated using correlations and multiple regression analyses. The findings indicated that the use of public recycling facilities can be significantly predicted by the launch of a source separation scheme, the physical setting and satisfaction with public recycling facilities. The sociodemographic variables did not significantly predict the use of public recycling facilities but did significantly predict the use of informal recycling sectors. This study's findings have implications for researchers and policymakers and shed light on public designs for sustainability.

A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Recycling Behavior

As society moves closer to sustainability, recycling becomes one of the core concepts of sustainable behavior. Recycling behavior research is receiving extensive attention from various disciplines because of the increasing prioritization of resource recovery and management by policymakers and industry. This article provides a clear view of the progression of publications and research diversification within the domain. The 788 articles which focused on consumers’ or households’ recycling behavior were analyzed using software. Resources, Conservation and Recycling was the top contributing journal, and Stewart Barr was the top contributing author. With the help of citation analysis and bibliographic coupling, the intellectual structure of recycling behavior research was obtained, showing that the research had diversified into seven identifiable clusters. The research in the area was initially focused on environmental behaviors and their determinants, household recycling behavior and behavioral theories like the Theory of Planned Behavior. Other focus areas that aid in research progression were spillover effects, past behavior, habits and behavior change. These clusters further provided the base for research on recycling behavior toward specific product categories. The content analysis of the lead papers in each cluster further helps in disclosing the foundations of and future directions of research.

Linking the Malaysia’s Solid Waste Management Policy Instruments with Household Recycling Behavior

The environmental problems faced by the world population today is the result of human daily activities. One of the contributing sources to the environmental problems is the growth of solid waste. Solid waste generation increases as a result of economic progress, urbanization, population growth and consumer-based lifestyles. The urban areas of Asia is expected to spend at least US$50 billion per year in 2025 on solid waste management. Malaysia, experiencing rapid economic prosperity, is also faced with challenges in solid waste management. This paper will highlight the present state of waste generation trends, its management, the waste management policies and strategies with specific focus on recycling for the household sector. Recycling has been highlighted for decades as a plausible option for sustainable waste management but still faced with various challenges. This paper will provide a brief classification of the policy instruments adopted in achieving the policy objectives. This provide the basis for future research to analyse the households’ perspective on the effectiveness of implemented policy instruments. It is crucial for policymakers to understand the behavioral aspect of the policy instruments in planning future comprehensive strategies.

Social factors influencing household waste separation: A literature review on good practices to improve the recycling performance of urban areas

As population density, urbanization and industrialization continue to increase, so do quantities of global urban waste worldwide. Still, compact urban areas record low-performing rates of recyclables. Improving the recycling performance in order to recover qualitative materials, save resources and keep waste out of landfills belongs to the pressing challenges of our time. Moving towards a circular economy requires active public participation in waste management and pre-sorting of wastes at home. In the process of establishing and improving well-performing municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMS) the understanding of fundamental social factors to influence household behaviour is commonly underestimated but of utmost importance. Compiling theory and good practices from cities globally, this paper intends to support practitioners and policy makers from different backgrounds to design future strategies and interventions to motivate household waste separation behaviour. By means of an extensive literature review a general overview of the main social factors influencing household recycling behaviour is given and key motivation drivers for behavioural change are identified. Followed by a presentation of international good practices and recommendations for urban areas, special attention was given to high-density contexts. The results in combination are supposed to serve as a resource for practitioners and as a basis to develop further studies focusing on the improvement of recycling behaviour in defined urban areas and tailored to the local situation. • Circular economy models require public participation in waste management. • Understanding social factors influencing household behaviour is of utmost importance. • Tailoring waste management system to local context and background is a key point. • Public education and specific communication highly contribute to improve recycling. • Collaboration and learning from experiences of compact cities worldwide is encouraged.

The Role of Food Packaging Design in Consumer Recycling Behavior—A Literature Review

Household waste sorting at the source is an essential part of the waste management system in many countries. Correct sorting of this waste, including food packaging waste, is cost-effective, it facilitates the recycling process and enhances the quality of the recycled product. Although there is a growing body of research that studies the effect of different attributes of food packaging on household recycling behavior, the effect of these attributes on the sorting of the food packaging waste is not well known. This contribution reviews work that studies the relationship between attributes of food packaging and consumer sorting behavior. The review highlights the potential of the visual attributes and the quality of packaging as a communication channel for encouraging consumers to sort the food packaging waste. The efficiency of the waste management system and the quality of recycled products can hence be affected by the proper design of food packaging.

Re‐examining the effects of aging on household recycling behavior: A study in France

AbstractWhile age is the variable most often used to explain household recycling behavior, research findings reveal only limited or contradictory effects. This study demonstrates the utility of several additional variables related to age in regard to explaining the effect of aging on household recycling behavior. These variables are generativity, available time, and perceived skills. By drawing on the theory of planned behavior, this paper offers a model that clarifies how age indirectly influences household recycling behavior. The model is tested on a stratified sample, and the results are analyzed through mediation tests and structural equation modeling. While aging is associated with lower levels of enthusiasm for recycling, more skills and available time allow recycling to be accomplished with increased ease. Finally, the results enable an explanation of the previous contradictory results about age effects and lead to managerial and societal recommendations on how household recycling can be effectively promoted.

SOURCE WASTE SEPARATION BEHAVIOR AMONG SHAH ALAM HOUSEHOLDS

One of the main contentious recycling issues in Malaysia is household solid waste management. With solid waste buildup and bottlenecks reaching its limit at landfills, local councils face uphill tasks to manage it. Solid source waste separation (SWS) for households was first officially enforced across eight states in Malaysia on 1 June 2016. However, Selangor has yet to enforce this system and is left to selected local councils to embark on pilot projects. It has been iterated that Selangor which has the largest population in Malaysia should adopt the law on mandatory SWS for households as it is already facing a garbage disposal crisis. Previous studies have been documented on recycling behavior but few delve into SWS. This paper examines household behavior towards SWS intention at Shah Alam. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, influences of attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavior control (PBC) towards SWS were determined. Methodology utilized interviews with two local councils and observations on household recycling behavior. Survey was administered on 150 households. Using PLS analysis, results indicate ATT and PBC have positive and significant influences on SWS intention while subjective norm was not significant. Findings had some implications on strategies for local councils in managing SWS system.
 Keywords: Recycling, source waste separation, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control

How do social norms influence recycling behavior in a collectivistic society? A case study from Turkey

This study investigates how social norms influence the household recycling behavior in collectivistic societies. High household participation rate is essential to accomplish the economic and environmental goals of recycling programs. To this end, the determinants of recycling behavior have long been studied, and social norms have been indicated as the strong predictor of recycling behavior. However, there is a need for a more in-depth examination to understand how social norms function in activating recycling behavior in different contexts. Hence, this study develops a model that disentangles the influence of social norms (i.e. informational and normal influences) on recycling behavior in a collectivistic social context. Using data collected from the households of the case-study area (Seferihisar, Turkey), the research hypotheses were tested via structural equation modelling. The findings confirm the influence of social norms on household recycling behavior, but this influence was found to occur not through internalization process. The causal chain effect triggered by social norms (i.e. internalization process) maintains its influence until the task knowledge necessary for recycling is obtained; however, this process does not end with actual recycling behavior. Rather, the results show that the perceived convenience mediates the influence of social norms on recycling behavior. In addition, the perceived convenience mediates the effects of physical constraints on recycling behavior. As well as revealing valuable theoretical implications, these results also provide managerial guidance in devising social norms to increase the household participation into recycling programs.

Household Recycling Behaviours and Attitudes toward Waste Bank Project: Mahasarakham Municipality

This study investigated factors influencing household recycling behaviour and the possibility of household participation in a community-based recycling bank project. The research examines two communities in Mahasarakham municipality, where there are differences in conditions and waste recycling management. The study demonstrated that demographic attributes and socio-economic factors play a little role in waste separation and recycling behaviour at household level. Meanwhile, environmental knowledge and attitudes contribute to the perceptions of people, their awareness, and participation to the community-based recycling project. Participation process was usually lacking in the project planning procedure and did not contribute enough time and resource to educate participants.

A Symbiosis Framework in Understanding Reverse Logistics in Solid Waste

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the sustainability and effectiveness of household recycling systems and household recycling behavior, to reveal how factors associated with household recycling systems affect household recycling behaviour, and how household recycling behavior affect the provision of household recycling systems by the local authorities.The main objective is to reveal and explain the interaction and symbiosis. Case studies were undertaken with staff and residents in two UK local authorities (LAs): the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Hull.Empirical data were gathered using mixed-methodology approach. The first approach is a qualitative research stage supported the symbiosis effect between the LAs and the householders. The second approach is quantitative research stage employed multiple regression analysis that juxtaposed the existence of interactions (symbiosis) between personal factors and situational factors which the representation of LAs and the householders respectively.This study has found that a ‘symbiosis effect’ perspective appears to be a robust framework to bring together effective household waste recycling systems and sustainable development considerations to enhance both sustainability and the economy.Householders and local authorities are behaving “symbiotically” where one local authority provides a reverse logistics provision, notwithstanding, the householders follow the recycling requirement which eventually creating a mutual interdependency between these two main actors in providing a sustainable solid waste management.