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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceutical waste management represents a global issue. There is a significant gap in consumers' education regarding the proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste. A significant amount of pharmaceutical waste is generated in health care facilities, including expired medicines, unused doses, and contaminated materials. Inadequate disposal of pharmaceutical waste can have effects on human health and on the environment. Managing pharmaceutical waste requires coordinated efforts from policymakers, health care providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, waste management companies, and consumers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of activities that may impact the efficiency of Romanian pharmacists in collecting and disposing of pharmaceutical waste, as well as the intentions of pharmacists/technicians to recycle this type of waste. Furthermore, this paper aims to identify institutional and behavioral barriers that affect effective waste management. This research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative research methods. An exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the elements of satisfaction and their attribution levels in the pharmaceutical industry. The statistical significance of the differences across different occupations regarding satisfaction with pharmacists' activities to reduce waste at each stage was tested using an analysis of variance. Cross-tabulation and a Pearson's chi-square test were used to analyze the relationship between occupational segments and intention regarding recycling and reusing pharma waste. This research was augmented using qualitative analysis based on the Delphi technique, focused on the barriers to waste management in the pharmaceutical sector. This study presents a general perspective on the current situation of pharmaceutical waste in Romania. The results indicate that the selection of appropriate pharmaceutical waste practices is primarily determined by the attitude of individuals and organizations, followed by regulatory, economic, and technical criteria. In developing sustainable pharmaceutical waste policies, this research provides practical implications for governments, organizations, and citizens. A comprehensive approach to overcoming barriers in pharmaceutical waste management was developed by combining institutional strategies that focus on organizational policies and infrastructure with behavioral strategies that target individuals and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution and resource scarcity are critical obstacles to the sustainable development of society. Recycling Management has been an important concern for governments during the last three decades, both nationally for the formulation of policy and locally for the implementation of recycling operations. This paper is an attempt to describe the factors affecting the recycling intention of consumers and an individual's self-commitment to engage in recycling behavior. The results revealed that perceived behavioral control has little influence on one's intention to engage in recycling practices while subjective norms and attitudes have a favorable effect on one's intention to recycle. It will provide valuable suggestions to policymakers for Sustainable Development and marketers to develop their marketing campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on improving recycling behavior in Turkey with a social marketing program. It is centered on behavior change and social marketing strategies that can address recycling behavior. The social marketing program developed herein outlines segmentation, targeting, product, price, place, and promotional strategies recommended based on theoretical elements across disciplines. This research is the first to develop a social marketing program for recycling behavior in a developing country at the household level. Furthermore, it is the first study in which behavioral change was ensured through marketing strategies. This article provides a framework that can be employed in developing social marketing programs. In this study, qualitative data collection tools and quantitative measurement data were used based on the action research design. Although there are studies in the literature that argue that women and those with undergraduate/graduate education show more recycling behavior than others, the results of the participant‐level research in Turkey showed that there was no significant difference in recycling behavior based on the demographic characteristics of the participants. On the other hand, it has been found that the awareness levels of the people have changed in correspondence with the implementation‐oriented efforts of the municipalities on recycling. However, there is a lack of recycling behavior due to the lack of necessary infrastructure and information in all regions in Turkey. One of the most important results obtained in this social marketing program study was that regional and cultural differences had a role in shaping the recycling behavior. This requires different strategies in implementing the program in different provinces, based on the culture and availability of recycling infrastructure. This article provides an example of a social marketing program to improve recycling behavior. It hopes to inspire significantly more work in this area to make behavior change for the better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of China's urban packaging waste recycling system and the current situation, it is necessary to further explore the evolutionary scenarios of stakeholders' behavior in recycling packaging waste and the structural characteristics of the recycling system. This paper establishes a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, waste recyclers and urban residents, and simulates the behaviors of different subjects with numerical calculations. The results show that weak government regulation and strong participation of recyclers and residents are the evolutionary stable state of the packaging waste recycling process. The initial behavioral choices of different recycling participants can influence the evolutionary path. At the early stage, strengthening behavioral management and guidance for recyclers and residents can help enhance their participation. When government management obtains results, the management and supervision can be gradually reduced, and the leading role of recyclers in the recycling process can be played. The penalty level and subsidy rate set by the government will influence the evolution path and speed, and the motivation of stakeholders will affect the effect of recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the escalating issues of resource waste and environmental pollution, the effective recycling of cardboard boxes within the logistics sector has emerged as a crucial factor in advancing sustainable development. This study employs the extended theory of planned behavior (ETPB) to devise a questionnaire and gather data from 700 respondents in China, aiming to analyze the influential factors that impact consumers' engagement in recycling mechanisms provided by express delivery companies. Utilizing a principal component analysis, five co-factors that influence consumers' willingness to recycle are identified. The findings of a multinomial logistic regression reveal a positive correlation between these five co-factors and recycling behavior, with attitude exhibiting the greatest significant influence (5.076 times in model 1 and 2.375 times in model 2) on recycling behavior. These results will serve as a scientific foundation for express delivery companies and governmental entities to adapt and optimize existing environmental protection policies, thus fostering sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the severity of global waste pollution continues to escalate, governments are increasingly prioritizing the promotion of waste sorting. This study engaged in the literature mapping of waste sorting and recycling behavior research currently available on the Web of Science using CiteSpace. First, studies on waste sorting behavior have grown rapidly since 2017. The top three continents publishing on this topic were Asia, Europe, and North America. Second, the top journals, Resources Conservation and Recycling and Environment and Behavior, were important to this field. Third, analyses of waste sorting behavior were mainly conducted by environmental psychologists. Ajzen had the highest co-citation count, as the theory of planned behavior has widely been used in this field. Fourth, the top three co-occurring keywords were "attitude," "recycling behavior," and "planned behavior." There was also a recent focus on "food waste." The research trend was found to be refined and accurately quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Avrasya Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of International Journal of Eurosia Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Avrasya Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that can predict factors affecting student recycling behavior. The theoretical model was based on motivation, place attachment, environmental concern and interpersonal altruism. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted with college students in Taiwan using self-report questionnaires. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 523 were completed (response rate of 65.4%) and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to test the models and hypotheses. Findings: The results showed that environmental concern, motivation, interpersonal altruism and place attachment have significant positive effects on recycling behavior and motivation and place attachment have significant positive effects on interpersonal altruism. This research contributes to the existing literature by discriminating between two sorts of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented. Originality/value: Few studies have linked motivation, interpersonal altruism, environmental concern and place attachment to recycling behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these relationships, specifically as they affect college students' behavior. This paper anticipates that increased knowledge about recycling behavior could be used to support the wider adoption of recycling practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, meta-analysis was carried out to explore the influence of socio-economics, research design, theoretical construction, and measurement factors on the five paths among the elements of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The findings suggested that (i) subjective norm shows relatively poor explanatory efficacy due to narrow measurement range; (ii) perceived behavioral control shows the lowest explanatory efficacy because of missing the measurement of perceived control; (iii) there are too few items to measure the recycling intention, making the measurement inaccurate in reflecting participants' psychological performance; (iv) the application accuracy of TPB increases with the sample size, which should be no less than 600; (v) introducing additional variables degrades the application accuracy of TPB in most cases due to their high correlation with standard elements; and (vi) research time, local economic level, participant's characteristics, and waste type also affect the application accuracy. Finally, improvement suggestions were also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the effectiveness of attaching microchips to bags for curbside collection in reducing unsorted urban solid waste and increasing the fraction of recycled waste. The microchip enables the local police to identify the users that have left the bags on the curb and check whether they have sorted the waste properly. Our study is carried out in the Italian province of Macerata (Marche, Italy), where the microchipped bags were introduced only in some municipalities in 2013. Exploiting monthly information on waste collection and natural experiment methods, we find that, 2 years after the program started, the microchipped bag system had increased the fraction of recycled waste by 3–4.5 percentage points and decreased the monthly unsorted waste by 1–2 kilograms per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently plastic waste has become one of the crucial environmental issues in India due to the growth of urbanized tremendously. Plastic pollution in the environment is a global concern for terrestrial and marine ecosystems, affecting living creatures. Plastic particles found in animal stomachs and human lungs promote the development of cancerous tissues, which can lead to significant diseases in both live creatures and humans. People around India are compelled to rethink the usage of plastic and its proper disposal due to its non-biodegradability and harmful gas emissions from plastic waste. Despite this crucial problem, plastic debris can be a turning point for an environmental, economic, and social resource after improving waste handling and management skills. Guwahati, the gateway of the North-East region of India has the potential to recover valuable resources from plastic waste while also improving the city's plastic waste management system. The purpose of this study is to investigate the eagerness for discernible change in the human population related to the current procedure of waste handling and management techniques for improving a sustainable environment in Guwahati City. This study developed a regression equation using a logistic regression model to analyze the three factors Plastic waste disposal behavior (PWDB), economic behavior (EB), and motivation (financial motivators) towards efficient waste handling obtained after doing a factor analysis of 849 valid responses through different variables. The study also investigated the validity of model fitness and the relationship between these factors through structural equation model. The overall analysis explored that these three factors were positively correlated and significant (p<0.000) hence, they will be able to affect each other and would be able to optimize the waste handling efforts with the least cost. This research article suggests that PWDB, EB, and Motivation (financial motivators) toward recycling plastic waste are the key drivers of reducing waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the shortcomings of existing mandatory management and promote the recycling of construction waste, this research developed a novel model of contractor's construction waste recycling behavior that introduced value orientation, felt responsibility, perceived value and recycling intention from the perspective of soften management. Combined with the scale measurement development and questionnaire survey, the data on contractor's recycling behavior were collected. Based on the questionnaire data of 214 valid responses, partial least squares structural equation modeling was adopted to test the proposed hypotheses and model. It is found that "value orientation → perceived value → recycling intention → recycling behavior" is identified as a driving path which can effectively prompt contractors to perform the recycling behavior. Therefore, it is suggested that some soften management strategies should be formulated to enhance the initiative of contractors to recycle construction waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Festivals attract diverse visitors to tourism sites and contribute significant solid wastes every year. One way to help customers engage in recycling at tourist attractions is to adopt an effective communication tactic using product transformation salience (PTS). To better understand the influence of PTS, the current study investigated the roles of visitors' characteristics, such as gender and age, by using PTS messages to promote recycling behavior by presenting moderation models. This study further examined the underlying psychological mechanisms to explain the effect of PTS on recycling intention by proposing a serial mediation model. The results indicated that the effects of PTS on visitors' feedback toward green messages varied when considering visitors' age and gender. In particular, women and older attendees perceive the higher green value of recycling and develop higher intentions toward engaging in recycling practices at events. The serial mediation effects of PTS → perceived green value → attitudes → intentions were also confirmed. The findings of this study contribute to the green advertising literature and provide practical suggestions to industry practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors that may influence recycling behavior of consumers in developing countries, specifically in the context of Pakistan. A conceptual framework was proposed using TPB to explain the impact of consumer knowledge and perceived consumer effectiveness on consumer recycling The respondents were selected by using non-probability sampling technique and the questionnaire was shared online with the respondents by using different digital platforms. The data was collected form 324 respondents living in Karachi, Pakistan and analyzed through Structure Equation Modeling on SMART PLS. The findings suggest that attitude, perceived consumer effectiveness and subjective norms show positive significant impact on consumers recycling intention. However, there is an insignificant impact of Consumer Knowledge and Perceived Behavior Control on recycling intention. The findings of the study are relevant for marketers, government/policymakers, businesses, manufacturers, environmentalists and academicians. This study would help practitioners and marketers in developing their strategy to promote recycling behavior in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household waste and the exploitation of the environment are among the alarming and unsustainable consumption patterns that are harmful to the ecosystem. Hence, this study aims to determine the factors influencing recycling behavior by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to an analysis of how recycling practices are fostered among citizens and how sustainable development goals (SDG) are upheld. The extended TPB model includes moral norms, convenience, and the cost of recycling. A total of 170 responses were received via the purposive sampling technique. The research model was analyzed using the partial least square structural equation modeling technique (PLS-SEM). Results show that subjective norms, moral norms, convenience, and the cost to recycle positively influenced recycling behavior. Environmental awareness was found to heavily influence attitudes, but attitudes were not found to translate into behavior. This research provides significant insight and a better understanding of recycling behavior and adds new momentum to the growing literature. The implications of these findings are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The objective of the study was to evaluate the application effects of different doses of onion residue mixed with bovine manure compost as an organic fertilizer on a hybrid Tetsukabuto squash crop cultivated in a field.Method The experimental design required randomly dividing blocks with three replicates. The experiments were designed with different dose combinations in experimental units (4 m wide x 8 m long deep). There were three treatments: organic fertilization (two compost doses 6 and 8 kg m-2); mineral fertilization (45 kg N ha-1 urea), unfertilized control. The number of leaves, main guide length per plant and dry matter were determined.Results The results obtained during the first 15-day sampling showed significant differences (p <0.05) in both number of leaves and main guide length per plant between the treatments with compost doses and the control without fertilization. The treatment with the compost dose of 6 kgm-2 produced the highest effect. . Furthermore, there were no significant differences (p <0.05) among the three treatments in both the number of leaves and main guide length per plant during the second post-sowing 60-day sampling, as well as in the dry matter during the first sampling. During the second sampling, the percentage of dry matter in the control differed significantly from the two fertilized treatments.Conclusion Compost of onion residue mixed with bovine manure can be applied as an organic fertilizer with similar positive effects to mineral fertilization in the first squash crop implantation stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research shows a recycling behavior gap where end consumers are positive towards recycling but do not act in accordance with their intentions. Such a gap creates challenges for reverse logistics systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how adaptations in reverse logistics systems towards end consumers-turned-suppliers can improve recycling behavior. Design/methodology/approach: A framework with three propositions is developed and evaluated empirically using a two-group dependent post-test quasi-experimental design. The empirical setting is recycling of household waste. Three interventions are evaluated as: (1) the social norms nudge, (2) the distance nudge and (3) the availability nudge. Findings: The results show that nudging improved recycling action behavior for the experimental group. Control group behavior remained constant. Research limitations/implications: This paper suggests that the end-consumer's role as suppliers needs to be included more actively into reverse logistics systems for products to enter the preferred loops of recycling in the circular economy. Originality/value: A new field of climate psychology is used to explain challenges in reverse logistics systems and nudging is demonstrated as a tool with which to deal with them. The study also shows how quasi-experiments can be applied in logistics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a model that integrates self-conscious emotions (i.e. anticipated guilt and anticipated pride) alongside the theory of planned behavior's key explanatory factors to challenge the idea that recycling behavior is driven mainly by cognitive factors. The model is empirically validated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a region where research are lacking despite generating one of the highest per capita solid waste and holding one of the lowest recycling rates. Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected from the general public in the UAE using a two-wave survey (n = 287). The first wave of data collection measured the constructs except for the actual recycling behavior. The second wave assessed the respondent's self-reported recycling behavior for the previous fortnight. Findings: Anticipated guilt, subjective norms, perceived effort and recycling knowledge are the main drivers of the intention to recycle. The latter impacts the actual recycling behavior positively. Attitude toward recycling and anticipated pride failed to predict the intention to recycle. Awareness of consequences triggers only anticipated pride, while the degree of concern is a significant predictor of both anticipated pride and guilt. Practical implications: One key implication of this research is that governments in the Middle East have not only to focus on cognitive factors but also emotions to promote recycling behavior. Originality/value: This study adds to the pro-environmental literature by showing that the decision to recycle is not only based on cognitive factors but also anticipated guilt. It is also one of the first that explore recycling behavior in the UAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient electronic waste (e-waste) management is one of the vital strategies to save materials, including critical minerals and precious metals with limited global reserves. The e-waste collection issue has gained increasing attention in recent years, especially in developing countries, due to low collection rates. This study aims to search for progressive solutions in the e-waste collection sphere with close-to-zero transport and infrastructure costs and the minimization of consumers' efforts towards an enhanced e-waste management efficiency and collection rate. Along these lines, the present paper develops a smart reverse system of e-waste from end-of-life electronics holders to local recycling infrastructures based on intelligent information technology (IT) tools involving local delivery services to collect e-waste and connecting with interactive online maps of users' requests. This system considers the vehicles of local delivery services as potential mobile collection points that collect and deliver e-waste to a local recycling enterprise with a minimum deviation from the planned routes. Besides e-waste transport and infrastructure costs minimization, the proposed smart e-waste reverse system supports the reduction of CO2 through the optimal deployment of e-waste collection vehicles. The present study also advances a solid rationale for involving local e-waste operators as key stakeholders of the smart e-waste reverse system. Deploying the business model canvas (BMC) toolkit, a business model of the developed system has been built for the case of Sumy city, Ukraine, and discussed in light of recent studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach to waste recycling called "waste bank" has recently appeared in Southeast Asian countries. Typically, waste banks allow members to exchange recyclable materials for revenue, with different returns based on the type and weight of the materials. However, participant numbers remain low, and improvements to the system are necessary to encourage participants to separate their waste. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence the period of participation in a waste bank in Malang City, Indonesia. A sample of 216 participants was obtained for the correlation between variables and a multiple-regression analysis. It was found that many respondents were frustrated by the volume of items requiring separation. We suggest that the number of recovery items without substantial economic benefit should be minimized to encourage participants to separate and bring their resources and to participate regularly. This would also be helpful in prolonging participation periods. Many participants regarded the waste-separation concept as an unfamiliar one. Our results may be useful for other Southeast Asian countries at the same economic level as Indonesia who wish to encourage the establishment of waste banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several theories and case studies have shown that information has little or no direct influence on waste sorting behavior. However, it is often suggested that information plays a vital role by indirectly influencing behavior. This contribution sheds light on how instructive information influences users of a recycling scheme in terms of perception, knowledge and waste sorting behavior. The study was performed as a case study on a student population in a medium-sized city in Sweden. An intervention in the form of modified information that was provided to the users was studied. This information was instructive in nature and adapted to the participants' needs using the Recycling Behavior Transition procedure, where the users are involved in the development and modification of recycling schemes. New information was designed after investigating how the participants perceived the original information on correct waste sorting, as well as ascertaining their preferred channel for providing the information. Pick analyses and surveys were conducted before and after providing the user-adapted information. The results indicated a trend towards correct participation in the recycling scheme. These results are also discussed in the theoretical context of the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability-Behavior model. The study shows that user-adapted, instructive information can have a significant influence on people's knowledge of correct waste separation and their overall perception of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food wastage has been reached to an alarming level and many social and governmental bodies are scared from the respective numbers. A significant bulk from such food wastage occurs due to non‐recycling of wastage and thus pollution is been generating every day from the same dilemma. This study has tried to see the role of environmental consciousness, green marketing, and purchasing discipline on food wastage generation in mediating the role of recycling behavior. Data have been collected from Thailand where many tourists stay engage in this harmful activity. Responses of 303 respondents have been analyzed on SPSS and AMOS through different statistical tests. Results have indicated that green marketing and purchasing discipline significantly reduces the food waste generation while environmental consciousness did not show significant impact. Recycling behavior significantly mediates between green marketing and food wastage and between purchasing decision and food wastage but not for environmental consciousness. This study has a lot of worthy implications for academia, practice, and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young consumers are major targets for necessary interventions to change consumption habits to address environmental sustainability challenges. The current study provides a comparison of a Western and an Asian culture, examining several key psychological and social influences to determine which can be most closely linked to the recycling behaviors of U.S. and Chinese young consumers. The results suggest both Chinese and U.S. students may be responsive to grassroots efforts to motivate recycling behaviors through peer groups. Opportunities for consumer socialization of green behaviors through family ties may also exist. This study provides valuable insight into key drivers of young consumers' recycling behavior for two important market segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia, as one of the most significant contributors to plastic pollution in the world, pledged to reduce 70 percent of the plastic waste by 2025. However, plastic waste continues to increase and keeps generating through plastic coffee cups from the booming business of coffee franchises in Indonesia. Previous research on factors influencing plastic recycling behaviors and the investigation of the role of mobile apps in the recycling system discusses a prospective mobile app to increase recycling behavior. However, this type of mobile app does not exist in Indonesia yet. Therefore, by employing mixed methods, a mobile plastic waste recycling application is being developed. The results of this study present the following findings: (1) the design process of developing a mobile app for plastic recycling from ideation, sketching, and paper prototyping utilizing features of perceived behavioral intention factors such as personal attitude, perceived behavioral control, and perceived moral obligation; (2) a usability paper prototype resulting in potential for participants to engage and use the app as well as indicate prospective awareness where using the app would likely increase plastic recycling culture. This study has several limitations due to the sample size, the scope of the study, and the content of the app. This study concludes that future work is underway to test the final prototype of the app and the collaboration of the app through a co-design project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education is the property of International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Solid waste mismanagement is a social burden that requires the introduction of reliable public policies, including recycling principles and technological facilities. However, the development of recycling plans is a real issue for municipal governments, since it involves psychological and cultural factors, both in developed and developing countries. Questionnaire survey is an important tool for evaluating which solid waste management policy is suited for each specific study area, involving citizens and stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to evaluate what approach should be applied for social surveys in higher education institutes, comparing developing and developed countries. Italy is the developed country analyzed, where two universities in different cities are compared, while La Paz (Bolivia) is the emerging reality considered. The research conducted in La Paz led us to understand that, although recycling rates are low (about 8%), many students (56.96%) separate up to half of the waste produced at home. At the same time, about 53% of those interviewed do not know the recycling practices implemented by the informal sector which is the one that constantly act for improving the recycling rates of the city. Low technological acceptance is instead underlined in the high income country, since there is a common negative opinion concerning the introduction of landfills and incinerators near residential areas (49% disagree). A comparison of the methodologies adopted for the two case studies is introduced whereas investigations results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to provide new insights into various determinants affecting household recycling. By focusing on Vietnam, this research also extends knowledge about sustainable behavior in emerging markets, which are the major culprits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Hypotheses were developed as a result of the critical review of relevant studies in the fields of marketing, psychology, and economics, and then tested using a quantitative survey data. Structured questionnaires were administered to Vietnamese respondents which yielded 486 usable responses. Multivariate statistics reveal that all the determinants influenced their recycling behavior except for moral norms. Attitude towards the importance of recycling exerted the strongest influence, followed by subjective norms and warm glow respectively. On the other hand, attitude towards the inconvenience of recycling significantly reduced recycling behavior. The research findings have important implications for strategies aimed at promoting recycling behavior. Communication and education programs should emphasize how household recycling contributes to environmental protection, as well as stress intrinsic rewards when recycling. Public media campaigns should feature opinion leaders and attractive communicators, who can effectively apply social pressure to perform recycling behavior. Organizations should also make every effort to make recycling more convenient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High participation rates by the public in authority projects are key in increasing resident recycling levels. Understanding waste separation behavior is crucial to achieving sustainable waste management within such household-based schemes. To identify the driving forces behind the seldom-discussed kitchen garbage separation behavior, five psychological factors, namely, attitude, perceived behavior control, subjective norms, moral norms, and responsibility denial, are established. Our data originate from a social study of Beijing citizens conducted in July 2013 (n = 362). Through structural equation modeling, we find that moral norms are consistently the most important predictor of household kitchen waste (KW) separation behavior. Subjective norms have a larger effect on such behavior than responsibility denial. Data analysis shows that perceived behavior control contributes significantly and independently to the explanation of such behavior. By contrast, attitude towards KW separation is found to be significantly negatively correlated with separation behavior. In conclusion, the model with direct and indirect effects of psychological factors explains 50.3% of the variance in household KW source separation behavior. Implications of the results for the promotion of household KW separation programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to contemplate the respondents' behaviors regarding recycling, with the purpose of identifying the factors that influence their behaviors. The study is based on a survey that was conducted with 230 nationwide university students and guidelines borrowed from the Theory of Planned Behavior and The Theory of Reasoned action. The data collected was evaluated by applying the Structure Equation Modelling technique. The study concluded that peoples' attitudes are largely subject to the moral values and general norms of their own society. Additionally, an individual's response towards recycling is greatly determined by the extent of his/her awareness towards the environment, as well as his/her personal knowledge. Another conclusion was that an individual's past experience towards recycling contributes to his/her attitude (willingness or apprehension about recycling) in the future. Furthermore, although the convenience and cost of recycling were found to be reasonably significant determinants about one's recycling behavior, it was determined that time commitment is the most decisive factor that influences an individual's willingness to or not to recycle. The study's findings have not only established the authority of Theory of Planned Behaviour and Theory of Reasoned Action, but it has also presented propositions and recommendations for future research. The inferences were based on the study's respondents, hence, so their validity can be applied to various scenarios involving local educational institutions or government structures. The goal of the study is to encourage people to engage in positive recycling behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education is the property of International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Source separation is a common method for dealing with the increasing problem of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in society. The citizens are then responsible for separating waste fractions produced in their home. If the consumers fail to sort the waste according to the source separation scheme, it will lead to an ineffective system. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the environmental, economic and social aspects of incorrect waste sorting in a medium sized Swedish city that has established a source separation system. In order to determine the extent to which citizens correctly sort their waste, food waste (black bags) and combustible fraction (white bags), were collected randomly from a residential area and categorized in different waste fractions. The results show that approximately 68 wt% of the waste in the white and 29 wt% in the black bags were not sorted correctly. This incorrect sorting accrues over 13 million SEK per year cost for this community. In order to improve the inhabitants' participation in the waste management system, it is necessary to change different factors such as convenience and easy access to the recycling stations in the local MSW management systems as well as to review current regulation and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is growing rapidly worldwide, making its management difficult; therefore, this should be improved as a matter of urgency. WEEE includes both essential household appliances [including televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines; but not air conditioners, where the consumption mode is more like information, communication and technology (ICT)] ICT equipment (also called high-tech household appliances). In the present study, Baoding, a medium-sized, prefecture-level city in north central China with a population of 11 million, including 1.1 million urban residents, was selected as a representative city for an investigation of recycling behaviors. A valid sample size of 346 households in Baoding was investigated, and categorized into various income and educational levels. The results showed that the major reason for discarding WEEE was malfunction of the appliance, accounting for 52% of disposals. Surveyed households with either high income or good education were more likely to consume high-tech household appliances, attracted by advanced technology, versatile functions or flexibility of use. Personal computer ownership rates were highest in households with a high income and good education—1.2 and 0.9 per home respectively. WEEE was most often sold to peddlers or hawkers from where the WEEE flowed into the second-hand market to be refurbished or repaired, and then re-sold. However, 56.3% of residents in the college community were in support of charging consumers for disposal and 61.7% were in support of including a disposal surcharge in the purchase price of new products—a percentage approximately three times that for high-income residents. Thus, high educational level appears to be currently the most important factor in raising the potential of a household’s willingness to pay for WEEE treatment cost. The findings of this study can be used to develop sound recycling systems for WEEE in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The regional inequalities in socio-economical characteristics such as income, population density, age composition, unemployment rate and the education level may bring about variation in waste generation, recycling and collection. Using environmental Kuznets curve, the factors affecting municipal solid waste disposal are examined. The results demonstrate that an inverted N-shaped curve executes on municipal solid waste disposal for all regions. As personal disposable income increases, per capita municipal solid waste disposed firstly declines, then grows at the second stage and finally decreases again. All the explanatory variables including economic factors, social characteristics and geographical barriers are found to influence municipal solid waste disposal significantly. Each person increase in population density leads to an increase in municipal solid waste disposed by approximately 1.17 ×10-4 kg/day. Each percent increase in age composition results in a decrease in municipal solid waste disposed by approximately 0.0224 kg/day; in the unemployment rate causes a decrease of 0.0901 kg/day and in the education level results in a decrease of 0.01556 kg/day. In general, municipal solid waste disposal starts to increase at the first turning point of personal disposable income NT$ 198,000 (about US$ 6,280) and to decrease at the second point of NT$ 389,000 (about US$ 12,350) for all regions (pooled data). The rural regions, however, cannot support the inverted N-shaped curve by the 'reduced form' while urban regions have a significant outcome. This result implies that income can only explain a portion of variation while other social and geographical factors contribute a lot to identify the variation in municipal solid waste disposal between urban and rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories about ambivalence, as well as quantitative and qualitative empirical approaches, are applied to obtain an understanding of recycling among young adults. A questionnaire was mailed to 422 Swedish young people. Regression analyses showed that a mix of negative emotions (worry) and positive emotions (hope and joy) about the environmental problems was positively related to recycling. The opposite pattern was found for attitudinal ambivalence toward recycling. Thereafter, semistructured interviews were performed. In a group of reluctant recyclers, the ambivalent attitudes consisted of views that recycling is something beneficial for the environment and is a civic duty. On the other hand, they wanted more information, were unable to integrate youthful ideals about living in an environmentally friendly way with the everyday life of young adulthood, and felt low self-efficacy. In addition, strategies to activate positive emotions alongside a high degree of environmental worry were explored in a group who recycle regularly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the study of the changes in consumers' recycling beliefs, attitudes, and behavior due to the application of one promotion technique: a commitment by block leader technique characterized by the agreeing participant signing a request or statement in which s/he makes a commitment to recycle as a result of the encouragement of a person who belongs to the same social circle. We therefore carried out a quasi-experimental work whose results enable us to explain the response to this recycling promotion technique. It makes a contribution to existing environmental literature by (1) systemizing the set of existing doctrines in order to explain the response to this recycling promotion technique, and (2) revealing the effects of this technique on people's beliefs and attitudes. The practical implications that may stem from these contributions are of an educational nature and should be of use to the public management of promotion campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author conducted an empirical study based on structural equation modeling with a convenience sample of 246 individuals with the goal of demonstrating that recycling behavior is a routine conduct and should be addressed as such in educational materials. Although the classic hierarchy of effects dominates the interpretation of recycling behavior in existing literature, another cognitive model may explain this desired conduct more accurately. Results showed that the classic learning method was a powerful route to achieve the desired conduct because of its capacity to engage the evaluation holder in a conscious reexamination of ecological conscience and beliefs about recycling which underlie the evaluations. Nevertheless, recycling has become common, so today's environmentalists could provide a limited amount of information to activate recycling behavior and then to set in motion existing favorable evaluations. In addition, results showed that psychographic characteristics related to this adoption process play a moderating role in the adoption of recycling behavior. This research leads to recommendations that may improve environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here on an ethnographic model of a decision that Americans make regularly: to recycle beverage cans or not. The model was derived from 21 ethnographic interviews and 70 structured interviews in Florida and North Dakota. Ethnographic decision models are not new, but we show here that these models can be tested for both internal and external validity. We test internal validity by comparing the model's predictions systematically to what people say about their own behavior. We test external validity by comparing the predictions of the ethnographic model to those of a representative sample of 386 people across the United States. The original model accounts for about 90% of the reported behaviors, while the national model predicts about 85% of the reported behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic waste (e-waste) has become the main contributor of lead to landfills in the United States. Households also store large volumes of e-waste, yet little is known about their willingness to recycle e-waste. This article starts filling this gap based on a 2004 mail survey of California households. Using multivariate models, the authors find that gender, education, convenience, and environmental beliefs but not income or political affiliation are key factors explaining the willingness to drop off e-waste at recycling centers. A comparison of an ordered probit with a semi- nonparametric extended ordered probit model of the survey responses shows that the latter better predicts less frequent answers. The results suggest targeting public education programs about recycling at teenagers or younger adults and making recycling more convenient for older adults; moreover, e-waste drop-off centers should first be created in communities that already offer curbside collection programs for conventional recyclable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work centers on the study of consumer recycling roles to examine the sociodemographic and psychographic profile of the distribution of recycling tasks and roles within the household. With this aim in mind, an empirical work was carried out, the results of which suggest that recycling behavior is multidimensional and comprises the undertaking of different roles with different sociodemographic and psychographic causal characteristics. The practical implications of these results can be applied in the implementation of segmentation policies that consider recycling behavior as the product on offer in a discriminate fashion depending on the role to be promoted among the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study merges insights from two well-known attitude-behavior theories--the theory of planned behavior and the model of altruistic behavior--with elements from two broader models from environmental psychology--the model of environmental behavior and the model of environmental concern--to propose a comprehensive structural equation model to explain recycling behavior. The specified model is estimated using data from the most recent national survey performed in Portugal on the subject. In general, results support the use of the theory of planned behavior as a basis for modeling recycling participation. However, the integration of this theory with the Schwartz's model is only partially achieved. Another important finding is that recycling behavior is indirectly determined by personal psychological features, such as social conscience, but not by general ecological attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling is an effective resource-recovery mechanism with significant economic and environmental benefits. The success of the Portuguese Integrated System of Packaging Waste Management (SIGRE), managed since 1997 by a private company called SPV, depends on a growing and sustained participation of consumers through the correct separation and disposal of recyclable waste. Within this framework, the present research applies different multivariate data analysis techniques to some specific questions of the most recent national survey about recycling behavior with the purpose of identifying factors able to motivate consumers to participate in the selective-collection program. Results suggest differences between recyclers and nonrecyclers concerning specific attitudes toward recycling and also the need of improving the provided logistic service. This research proposes also some guidelines that may be considered in future communication and intervention strategies, designed to promote recycling participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the changes in waste reduction behavior in East Harlem, New York, before and after an educational outreach program. Improvements in the total daily recyclables collected; Variations in environmental behavior among residents in the private and public housing units; Predictors of behavior; Importance of support and resources to improve behavior.

Presents a model which predicts that behavior is a monotonic function of attitudes and external conditions based on data from a natural experiment in curbside recycling. Main effects of attitudes and external conditions; Prediction of the Schwartz norm-activation model on recycling behavior.

Examines the antecedents of recycling and composting intentions in the context of an integrated waste management behavior model. Theory of planned behavior; Testing of model based on recycling and composting data from a sample of 700 individuals.

With the occurrence of rapid global economic growth concerns about waste and its related effects on the environment are on the rise. There has been an increasing focus towards sustainable development and waste recycling as part of environmental sustainability strategies, and the encouraging of recycling behavior has received considerable attention from various environmental stakeholders. While numerous studies have used grounded theories such as the theory of planned behaviors and the norm activation model to examine environmental behaviors, a lack of consideration of other important variables in these studies has been revealed. This study aimed to address this gap by adopting the comprehensive action determination model, which comprises a wider group of influencing variables related to norms, intentions, situations, and habits. This model was tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 386 valid questionnaires collected from Taipei City residents in the domain of recycling behaviors. Results indicated that awareness had a positive influence on personal norms towards recycling behaviors; social norms had a positive influence on personal norms towards recycling behaviors; attitudes had a positive influence on recycling intentions; social norms had a positive influence on recycling intentions; personal norms had a positive influence on recycling intentions; perceived behavior control had a positive influence on recycling intentions; recycling intentions had a positive influence on recycling behavior; and recycling habits had a positive influence on recycling behavior. However, findings did not support the positive impact of perceived behavioral control on recycling behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food packaging waste is a valuable resource for material recovery, if it is properly separated and sorted by consumers. The packaging itself may have the potential to assist consumer sorting by, for example, communicating a correct sorting practice. This is partly due to the fact that the sorting of packaging waste, which is a habitual behavior of consumers, can be perceived as being confusing and inconvenient. Consumers can, therefore, choose not to sort. It is argued that material recovery could be enhanced if packaging can afford easy and proper sorting and separation. To investigate the potential of packaging to support proper sorting, six types of yogurt and cream packaging were examined across 15 households in Karlskrona (a medium-sized Swedish city). The aim is to investigate the effect of selected packaging attributes on consumer decisions regarding waste sorting. The results reveal that some of the selected packaging waste is not properly separated and sorted. It is concluded that the design of food packaging based on user-centered needs could affect consumer decisions for the proper sorting of packaging waste, which enables improved material recovery. The design should focus especially on the package's visual attributes, the material selection, and the package´s waste sorting related functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]