Household Waste Separation Research Articles

Incentive strategy models of household waste separation based on cost uncertainties: A perspective of social networks

Waste management has become a serious problem in China, with households generating an increasing amount of waste. To tackle this problem, many city administrations have implemented regulations on household waste separation and are stepping up efforts to improve awareness. Moreover, the existence of individual interactions in social networks makes the cost of raising awareness highly uncertain. Therefore, this paper aims to describe the individual interactions based on dynamics of opinion spread method and build the incentive strategy model that is extended to three robust incentive strategy models based on various uncertain sets by robust optimization: Box-SO Model, Ellipsoid-SO Model and Box-Ellipsoid-SO Model. The simulation results indicated that a higher uncertain level parameter or a lower interaction threshold leads to lower public awareness, in which the Ellipsoid-SO Model has the best robustness with sacrificing 7.96% of the total awareness value, but the Box-Ellipsoid-SO Model loses 24.24%. Meanwhile, cost constraint has a direct effect on public awareness, and people with a high frequency of social interactions are key to improving public awareness of household waste separation. Additionally, the results have several management implications that are conducive to improving public awareness and behavior of household waste separation in social networks: (1) The fundamental premise of improving public waste separation behavior is to stimulate awareness; (2) Small-scale activities are more efficient than large-scale activities in improving pro-environment opinion; (3) Given the existence of opinion leaders, propaganda for residents should be pertinently targeted. • Social interactions of awareness on household waste separation are studied. • Incentive models with cost uncertainties are proposed to improve awareness. • Awareness values of robust models are lower than basic model due to uncertainty. • Ellipsoid-SO Model has best robustness with losing 7.96% of the total awareness. • Small-scale activities are more efficient to improve public awareness.

Adoption of new household waste management technologies: The role of financial incentives and pro-environmental behavior

New technological solutions can encourage lower household waste production and higher levels of waste separation. This paper focuses on analyzing the role of different behavioral factors, such as empowerment and pro-environmental behavior (PEB), have on citizens' intention to use a novel household waste management and separation system and how these interact with the financial incentives typically applied in this area, pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) and save-as-you-throw (SAYT). The proposed model was tested in Portugal using the structural equation modeling approach. Survey data from 400 respondents found that empowerment plays a vital role in adopting an innovative waste management system. The research discerns pro-environmental behavior (PEB) both as an antecedent and a moderator between system use and empowerment, system use and behavioral intention, and also between system use and financial incentives. We discovered that for people with low perceived PEB, PAYT actually reduces the use of the new waste management system, while SAYT can increase the use of the system. Furthermore, increasing the empowerment of users in the system can work exceptionally well at encouraging consumers that already have a high level of PEB. The paper concludes with a discussion section about the developed framework's application and implication in the waste management sector. This study is valuable for understanding how citizens will adopt a new waste management system and essential for encouraging citizens to engage in recycling behavior regularly.

Factors Influencing Household Waste Separation Behavior: Cases of Russia and Finland

This paper investigates the factors influencing the behavior of individuals in source-separation of municipal solid waste in an immature system for collection of recyclable waste (Saint Petersburg, Russia) and a more mature waste system (selected urban areas, Finland). Online questionnaires were applied to collect data from citizens of Saint Petersburg and the Finnish urban population. The data were examined within an extended theory of planned behavior using structural equation modeling for the identification of factors affecting waste source-separation behavior. The findings indicate that the factors differed significantly in the two waste systems. In Russia, the inconvenience of waste collection limited waste source-separation behavior, while intentions of individuals and information availability had an almost equal positive effect. In Finland, waste source-separation behavior was mostly affected by people’s intentions. Based on the findings, recommendations for the development of recycling practices were made for practitioners in Russia and possibly other early-stage systems for the collection of recyclable waste. Limitations of the study pinpointed the possibilities for future research.

Spatial differentiation and driving mechanisms of urban household waste separation behavior in Shanghai, China

Based on the theory of planned behavior, numerous driving forces of separation behavior have been demonstrated; however, spatial differentiation and information behavior warrant further investigation. This study focused on examining how internal factors (e.g., subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), external factors (e.g., perceived effectiveness of grass-roots governance (PGE), information publicity (IP)), and spatial differentiation factors affected waste separation behavior (WSB) in residents. Accordingly, a theoretical model was constructed to analyze 2555 valid questionnaires collected from 16 districts in Shanghai, revealing the following results: (1) Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control indirectly affect WSB only through offline behavioral intentions; (2) PGE and IP have direct and indirect effects on WSB through both on- and offline behavioral intentions; and, (3) Under the moderating effects of house prices and age in megacities, PGE and IP exhibited irregular and U-shaped effects, respectively. In addition, the results indicate spatial differences in WSB as a function of the neighborhood (stranger, acquaintance, and semi-acquaintance neighborhoods) and as a driving mechanism (weak mobilization–strong participation, strong mobilization–strong participation, and strong mobilization–weak participation). These findings provide a reference for formulating targeted waste separation policies, improving social mobilization mechanisms, ensuring timely information dissemination, and achieving sustainable household WSB.

Studying Waste Separation Behaviors and Environmental Impacts toward Sustainable Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Bang Chalong Housing, Samut Prakan, Thailand

This study aims to develop more inclusive and sustainable waste management practices to be implemented in Bang Chalong Housing, a model community with unsatisfactory waste separation and recycling rate. The extended theory of planned behavior was employed to investigate the effect of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, knowledge, and situational factors on household waste separation intention and behavior, using structural equation modeling as a tool. Based on the questionnaire responses of 321 residents, the house owner’s status exhibited a considerable impact on waste-sorting behavior. Knowledge (β = 0.653; p < 0.001) and subjective norm (β = 0.160; p < 0.05) were two significant predictors of the respondents’ intention, which showed a strong influence on household waste separation behavior (β = 0.804; p < 0.001). Various waste management scenarios were also evaluated through material flow analysis and life cycle assessment. Installing a waste-sorting plant in addition to the current approach (recycling and landfilling) could annually reduce 26.4 tons of solid waste from being landfilled and mitigate GHG emissions by up to 47.4 tons CO2 equivalent. Finally, the implications of these results on designing interventions and amending waste management schemes were discussed.

Investigating household waste separation behavior: the salience of an integrated norm activation model and the theory of planned behavior

The recent perennial spate of flooding in Ghana has over the years caused hemorrhagic loss to lives and properties. In view of the inundation phenomenon, issues of waste management have been shot into prominence. The key among dominant suggestions to counteracting the situation has essentially converged around waste separation, which is an under researched area in Ghana. Against this background, the research seeks to investigate household waste separation behavior using an integrated theory of planned behavior and the norm activation model as the theoretical framework. Data were drawn using the questionnaire survey method and further analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The empirical results of data analysis drawn from 707 households confirmed a significant relationship between awareness of consequences and attitude, and subjective and personal norms. Subjective norm is significantly related to attitude and perceived behavior control. Moreover, attitude has a positive relationship with behavioral intention, whereas the relationship between perceived behavior control and behavioral intention is not significant. Finally, personal norm has a significant relationship with behavioral intention. The results also confirmed that the integrated model is useful and appropriate for predicting behavior. From the results, implications for pursuing and forging household waste separation behavior and suggestions for future research are outlined.

How Does Social Capital Affect Residents' Waste-Separation Behavior? Evidence from China.

The increasing amount of waste produced has been a challenge for human health and the environment, causing a call for effective waste management measures in which household waste separation is of great significance. Although an expanding body of literature has examined the impact of social capital on individual waste-separation behavior, few studies have explicitly discussed the endogeneity problem and the influence mechanisms. Accordingly, our study investigates the effect of social capital on waste-separation behavior and corresponding mechanisms using a national survey dataset of China. The study also reveals the heterogeneity of the influence of individual characteristics on waste-separation behavior. Our results demonstrate that social capital casts a significant positive impact on waste-separation behavior, providing opportunities for individuals’ social learning and strengthening the reputation effect. The heterogeneous effects of social capital reveal that women, higher-educated individuals, and political party members present better waste-separation behavior. Besides, the impact of social capital varies between urban and rural areas and among different age groups. Our study provides empirical evidence for policy making of household waste-separation management in developing countries from the perspective of informal institutions.

UNDERSTANDING MALAYSIAN HOUSEHOLD WASTE SEPARATION: AN EXTENDED THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR

The strike of COVID-19 in March 2020 has caused the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and lockdown by the Malaysian government. As a consequence, MCO has changed Malaysians' norms. Many Malaysians have become compulsive online buyers and the food waste issue has occurred due to the problem of over-purchasing. This study intends to extend the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in influencing waste separation among households. This study investigates the influence of descriptive norms, personal norms, and cognition of consequences towards the intention to separate waste. This research used a quantitative online survey and convenience sampling. A final and valid sample of 300 households was analysed using Pearson correlation. This research indicates that descriptive norms and cognition of consequences significantly influence the intention of Malaysian households to separate waste. On the other hand, personal norms do not have an influence on the waste separation intention. Therefore, the government, local authorities, related agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should ensure that the Malaysian public is aware of the importance of protecting the environment. This study is unique since many studies have focused on the recycling intentions and behaviour and this study is among new and pioneer studies that apply the extended TPB in investigating the determinants of household waste separation in Malaysia during the pandemic COVID-19.

The influence mechanism of household waste separation behavior among college students in the post COVID-19 pandemic period.

College students are one of the most important groups of participants and promoters of household waste separation. Taking Ningbo as a case study, an online + offline questionnaire survey among more than 1700 students in 10 colleges is conducted to identify the main factors and pathways influencing waste separation behavior in the post COVID-19 pandemic period. The results show that the KMO statistic is 0.926, Bartlet test is p < 0.001, indicating that questionnaire sample data is suitable for factor analysis. The modified Structural Equation Model test indicates that waste separation behavior of college students mainly results from the combined effect of eight subjective intrinsic factors and seven external situational factors. Among them, the convenience of recycling facilities, the convenience of sorting facilities and the publicity and education of sorting knowledge are the top three factors with the most significant influence. The mean value of epidemic impact factors is 0.277, which is slightly lower than conventional influence factors (0.289). Environmental Norms and Constraints are an essential component in the analysis framework of college students’ waste separation behavior. In the future, society and colleges should give full play to the positive influence of the epidemic factor on college students’ waste separation behavior.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-022-01363-3.

A Study on The Factors Influencing Waste Separation Among Households in Malaysia

The Separation at Source Initiative (SSI) was launched and became effective in September 2015 under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672). Malaysian households were required to participate by implementing waste separation at home, which fell under the classification of waste minimization and production goals. Many Malaysian households, on the other hand, are determined about not participating. A framework, the Theory of Planned Behavior, will be used to evaluate the impact of intrinsic motivation in influencing household waste separation behaviour in this research. The results of a questionnaire survey conducted among residential areas in Malaysia revealed that 402 valid questionnaires were returned. The data is analyzed with the aid of the Smart PLS software package. The findings show that attitudes toward waste behaviour, subjective standards, and perceived behaviour control are all statistically significant predictors of waste behaviour in the study. This study's conclusions are based on the findings and recommendations are offered in this paper to encourage waste separation among family members. In addition, this study makes a substantial contribution in this area to the body of information addressing the behaviour of families when it comes to trash separation, which is currently lacking. From a practical sense, it is vital for local governments in Malaysia and throughout the globe to encourage increased household participation in trash separation in order to protect the environment and minimise pollution. This is applicable both nationally and internationally.

Evolutionary Game Analysis on Behavioral Strategies of Government and Residents in Municipal Household Waste Separation

Municipal household waste (MHW) separation is a fundamental way to achieve waste reduction and a recycling economy. This study takes the positions of government and residents in MHW separation as the research object, and aims to explore the change process and influencing factors of their decision-making behavior, which is of great significance to attract residents to participate in MHW separation and establish an effective MHW separation mechanism to solve MHW pollution. This paper firstly establishes an evolutionary game model between government and residents in MHW separation; secondly, the payoff matrix of the system is determined, and the replication dynamic equations under different constraints are calculated to obtain the evolutionary stability strategy of the system, and the stability conditions are analyzed; Finally, through numerical simulation, the decision-making behavior of MHW separation and its influencing factors are studied, and the rationality of the model is verified. The results show that: (1) In the process of MHW separation, residents often choose not to separate without government regulation; (2) Environmental fee rates and government effort have great impacts on residents’ decision-making behavior; (3) The increase of penalty intensity can significantly drive residents to separate MHW; (4) The sensitivity of residents’ behavior decision to subsidy coefficient is the lowest among all the variables, and the incentive effect of increasing subsidy coefficient is not obvious. The research results can not only provide theoretical guidance for policy makers to develop waste management policies, but also provide valuable insights for local communities to guide residents’ MHW separation behavior.

Household Waste Separation Intentions in Mongolia: Persuasive Communication Leads to Perceived Convenience and Behavioral Control

This study contributes by developing a set of household waste separation (HWS) attributes to address waste mishandling and to enhance waste separation intentions in households. In Mongolia, a lack of waste separation at the household level needs to be addressed to improve municipal solid waste management systems. However, prior studies have not established attributes in a hierarchical structure, nor do they understand their cause-effect interrelationships. First, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to screen out the unnecessary attributes in qualitative information. The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) was then applied to understand the hierarchical structure of the attributes and their cause-effect interrelationships. The study identifies a valid set of attributes consisting of five aspects and 17 criteria under uncertainties. A hierarchical framework consisting of environmental attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, perceived convenience, and persuasive communication is provided. The findings reveal that persuasive communication and environmental attitudes are causal group aspects. Furthermore, persuasive communication has a strong causal impact and higher importance in improving HWS intentions, and it leads to perceived convenience and behavioral control. For policymakers, credibility of information, knowledge and information, awareness of consequences, willingness to sort, and perceived policy effectiveness are the key causal criteria for enhancing HWS intentions. Theoretical and practical policy implications are discussed.

Individuals' waste separation practice in a relationship with social bonds: a case study of Hanoi, Vietnam

PurposeThe paper aims to ascertain whether residents in Nguyen Du ward still sort their waste at source following the end of the 3R project that ended in 2009. Additionally, this paper aims to explore the relationship between waste separation practices and social bonds.Design/methodology/approachThe Travis Hirschi theory of social control was applied, together with the mixed method research design which included a structured questionnaire survey. Twelve semi-structured interviews were also conducted with residents and the data processed by SPSS software, using Chi-Square test, Independent-Samples t-test and Pearson's correlation analysis.FindingsA proportion of respondents has continued practicing waste separation since the 3R project ended. The study also indicated that the greater the involvement in family and neighborhood activities the more the participants were likely to practice waste separation.Research limitations/implicationsThe small sample size limits the extent to which the most influential factors can be determined and therefore the degree to which the findings can be generalized.Practical implicationsThe study includes implications for rerunning the waste separation programs for households as together with community campaigns to improve individuals' attachment and commitment and thus their participation in pro-environmental behaviors.Originality/valueTo the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to take a sociological approach to investigate factors affecting household waste separation, which has attracted little attention in previous studies. Useful information is also provided to local authorities for a policy-making process to implement effective domestic waste policies.

Analysis of influencing mechanism on waste separation behavior in Shanghai

Residents are responsible for community waste separation, and their waste separation behavior plays a significant role in determining the success or failure rate of waste management. In industrializing countries, countries such as China, waste separation at the origin is a critical factor in the success of the entire strategy implementation. Establishing trash source-separated gathering relies primarily on resident engagement, which necessitates a full knowledge of how sentiments, behavioral intention, perceived behavioral control, and contextual circumstances influenced their overall behavior. This learning customs the theory of planned behavior to analyze waste separation practices in Shanghai, that will contribute to enhance the domestic household waste separation behavior measuring scale, as well as differentiate and improve residents' waste separation commencement, execution objectives and construct a theoretical model that identifies the factors that influence waste separation behaviors. This study uses random stratified data on the waste separation behaviors of Shanghai residents across 16 districts and counties in 2019. A sample of 2555 questionnaire responses was analyzed, and a structural equation model was used to identify the mechanisms that influence residents’ environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control concerning waste separation behavior in the context of government regulations. The study found that environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control significantly and positively affect the initiation and execution intentions of residential waste separation, which in turn positively affects waste separation. Environmental attitudes, directly and indirectly, affect waste separation behaviors through initiation and execution intentions. Indirectly, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have little effect on waste separation. The operational influence of initiation intention on trash separation is moderated by perceived policy effectiveness. Only environmental views, on the other hand, influence inhabitants' trash separation habits. Perceived policy effectiveness promotes the transformation of initiation intention into waste separation behaviors. The findings expanded the application of the planned behavior theory of waste separation, contributed to a better understanding of the behaviors of municipal solid waste separation in Shanghai and other Chinese cities, and provided decision makers with policy suggestions for the governance of waste separation.

A Proposed Model of Household Waste Separation Behavior: Pilot Test and Instrument Validation

Due to the increasing waste generation over the years in Malaysia, there is an urgent need to address this problem by implementing effective household waste separation initiatives. Although past studies have tried to explain the waste behavior from psychological perspective, there is little understanding as to the impact of environmental ethics and specific waste separation knowledge towards waste separation behavior. The aims of this article are to present questionnaire development based on waste separation behavior proposed model, pre-test, pilot test and findings. After obtaining 116 valid questionnaires from households in the district of Mersing, Johor, descriptive and factor analysis were conducted. The results from pilot test indicated that both specific waste separation knowledge and waste separation at source behavior were moderate. Early findings indicate that most of households reject the anthropocentric and technocentric ethics orientation. From the factor analysis, it can be concluded that the proposed model intended to predict SAS behavior warrant minor amendments which enable the model to be used in the future study. The valid and reliable instrument has a potential to better understand the underlying SAS behavior among households in Malaysia.

Influence of role models on public participation in household waste separation: An examination of local contextual moderators

Despite being a popular policy tool to promote household waste separation in local communities, role model strategies have been shown to achieve only mixed success so far. The reasons for their varied performance are not clearly understood. The present study aims to address this important issue by exploring how the influence of role models varies with the social, economic, and demographic features of local residential areas. Interrupted time series analyses of monthly observations of public participation in a large waste sorting program in Hangzhou, China have been conducted to test the theoretical propositions. The results show that role models increased the overall program participation level by 5.3%. This positive influence was greater in areas with stronger group cohesion, higher economic level, and a younger population. However, role models had a minimal effect among people with a low contribution predisposition. These findings demonstrate that the influence of role models on household recycling depends significantly on local contexts and personal idiosyncrasy, implying ways to improve the effectiveness of role model strategies in motivating residents’ sustainable behavior.

Caretakers as mediators in household waste separation

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of building caretakers in waste handling and in the application of source separation schemes. The topic is approached through the concept of mediators (or intermediaries). It is discussed with reference to both transition theory and ANT how mediators must be perceived in terms of not only transition agents, instigating change, but also in terms of stabilization, local embedding and maintenance of (relatively) stable socio-technical configurations. Based on mainly qualitative studies, the waste mediating role of caretakers’ work is explored and it is demonstrated how caretakers through a constant flow of interventions seek to maintain the stability of their buildings, i.e. the stability of the buildings’ flux of people and materials. As part of their continuous effort to keep their buildings’ infrastructures functional and keep their communal and recreational spaces as pleasant as possible, they take steps to integrate source separation into the flow of the building’s daily operations, making sure that it runs smoothly, yet also seeking to optimize the quality of source separation.

Internet of Things (IoT)-Enabled accountability in source separation of household waste for a circular economy in China

Source separation is regarded as a best practice for sustainable waste management, which is essential for a transition to a circular economy to recover value from waste. However, its implementation in China has faced many difficulties which are primarily inherent in the public’s behaviour towards source separation of household waste. Based on multiple cases of innovative use of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in China in recent years, this study establishes the concept of IoT-enabled accountability in household waste source separation by utilising the lens of accountability theory. Moreover, this research advances several propositions on the multiple dimensions of accountability mechanism to influence user behaviours. The study’s findings provide guidance to governments, technology providers and waste management organisations on the use of IoT-based technological solutions for sustainable waste management. It stimulates future research on the use of IoT technologies in managing people’s behaviour in a range of contexts beyond waste management alone. The study contributes to the growing literature on smart waste management.

Factors influencing on residents’ household waste separation behavioral intention: Evidence from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Household solid waste has become a serious problem in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam over the last 10 years, resulting in significant side effects on the environment. Although various programs of waste separation at source have been deployed, they have stopped at the level of the pilot - programs and have generally not been replicable. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study was examined the key factors influencing waste separation behavioral intention of residents in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam’s economic center. By using SPSS 20.0 software for the sample size of 487 residents, the regression models are used to process and explain data. The research detects six factors, namely Attitude towards waste separation; Social norms; Perceived behavioral control; Knowledge about waste separation; Laws and regulations; Propaganda that significantly directly affected residents ‘behavioral intention, Knowledge about waste separation being the strongest construct significantly to predict individuals’ intention. Of the six above-listed constructs, only Perceived behavioral control had a negative impact on residents’ waste separation behavioral intention. The findings from this research may help policy-makers have a better understanding of residents’ waste separation behavioral intention.

Social-contextual influences on public participation in incentive programs of household waste separation

Despite the widespread use of financial incentives to encourage public participation in household waste separation, recent studies have revealed the mixed success of this strategy. The present study seeks to advance our understanding of the social-contextual conditions in which financial incentives are more or less effective. Based on theories of social influence, it has investigated how program advocates, neighbor networks, and community norms affect public participation in incentivized waste-separation programs. Generalized linear mixed model analyses of more than 150,000 daily participation records for residents in 347 housing estates in Hangzhou, China have been conducted to examine the theoretical propositions. The results show that substituting ingroup members (block leaders) for outgroup agents (company staff) as program advocates increased the total number of participants. However, block leaders contributed little or even negatively to mobilizing people who had never participated previously. Levels of participation were higher among residents with stronger social networks, but lower in communities with more salient volunteerism norms. These findings illuminate the substantial interaction between financial incentives and social influences, suggesting ways to use social forces to improve incentive programs of household waste separation.