Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Material and Methods
3.1. Survey Design
3.2. Distribution
3.3. Data Analysis
3.4. Hypotheses
4. Case Study
4.1. Demographic and Socio-Economic Characteristics
4.2. E-Waste Behavior
4.2.1. Attitude and Awareness of E-Waste Recycling
4.2.2. Self-efficacy and Responsibility in the E-Waste Recycling Context
4.2.3. Social Norms, Social Influence, and Social Media
4.2.4. Government and NGOs’ Actions vs. Government Measures
4.2.5. Convenience
4.2.6. Ownership and Knowledge of the E-Waste Products
4.2.7. E-Waste Recycling Intention and Recycling Behavior
4.3. Structural Model’s Results
4.4. Contribution of Demographic Variables
4.4.1. Gender Contribution
4.4.2. Age Contribution
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Issue | Acronym | Questions | Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attitude | AT | Recycling e-waste is part of a responsible citizen’s life (Q1) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I believe that my e-waste recycling behavior contributes a lot to a healthy environment (Q2) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Pro-environment behavior is necessary given the current development conditions (Q3) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I have a positive attitude and I feel good when I recycle electronic products (Q4) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Awareness | AW | I am aware of the benefits recycling e-waste has (Q5) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I know that electronic products contain potentially toxic substances (Q6) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I know that not recycling e-waste can cause environment pollution (Q7) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I know that the way we manage e-waste can harm human health (Q8) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Self-efficacy | SE | I know which are the items that can be recycled in e-waste recycling process (Q9) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I know where to take my e-waste for recycling (Q10) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I find it easy to participate in the e-waste recycling activities (Q11) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Responsibility | RESP | I feel responsible to take actions in order to manage the level of e-waste I generate (Q12) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I feel responsible for the environment pollution due e-waste generation (Q13) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Social Norms | SN | My family expect me to engage in e-waste recycling behavior (Q14) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
My friends expect me to engage in e-waste recycling behavior (Q15) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Other persons with whom I am in contact expect me to engage in e-waste recycling behavior (Q16) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Social Influence | SI | Family/friends/people around me talk about e-waste recycling and/or recommend me to engage in e-waste recycling (Q17) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Family/friends/people around me would appreciate if I engage in an e-waste recycling behavior (Q18) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
The opinions of family/friends/people around regarding e-waste recycling matters to me (Q19) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Social Media | SM | Posts of links related to e-waste recycling appear in the newsfeed of my social media accounts (Q20) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Posts of discussions initiated by my friends on social media related to e-waste recycling appear in the newsfeed of my social media accounts (Q21) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Posts of commercials related to e-waste recycling appear in the newsfeed of my social media accounts (Q22) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Posts of videos related to e-waste recycling appear in the newsfeed of my social media accounts (Q23) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Government and NGOs | GNGO | The actions made by the government and/or NGOs for encouraging e-waste collection makes me happy (Q24) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
The services offered by the government ease the e-waste recycling process (Q25) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
NGOs are one of the main actors that encourage the e-waste recycling process (Q26) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
A program by the authorities for collecting electronic products for recycling from people’s houses would be useful (Q27) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Convenience | CONV | Near my house there are many recycling centers for electronic products (Q28) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I found it to be easy and convenient to access the curbside pick-ups for the e-waste (Q29) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Government Measures | GM | Some specific laws on the recycling of electronic products would make me recycle more (Q30) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I believe that if the government enforced the rules for e-waste more electronics product will be recycled (Q31) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Recycling Intention | RI | I plan on recycling more e-waste even though it will not necessarily be too easy (Q32) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I plan on participating in the recycling activities advocated in social media (Q33) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I intend to put more effort into everything related to the recycling of electronic products (Q34) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
In the future I intend to buy electronic products that can be recycled (Q35) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
Recycling Behavior | RB | I recycle large household appliances (e.g., washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioners, refrigerators, microwaves, etc.) (Q36) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
I recycle small household appliances (e.g., toasters, vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, appliances for toothbrushing, shaving, hair drying, etc.) (Q37) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I recycle information technology and telecommunications equipment (e.g., laptops, personal computers, notebooks, telephones, cell phones, printers, etc.) (Q38) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I recycle consumer equipment (e.g., video recorders, stereo recorders, musical instruments, radios, televisions, etc.) (Q39) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I recycle light equipment (Q40) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | ||
I recycle other categories of e-waste (not listed above, e.g., electronical and electronic tools, leisure equipment, medical devices, monitoring and control instruments, automatic dispensers, etc.) (Q41) | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
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AT | AW | SE | RESP | SN | SI | SM | GNGO | CONV | GM | RI | RB | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | 0.796 | |||||||||||
Q2 | 0.848 | |||||||||||
Q3 | 0.723 | |||||||||||
Q4 | 0.835 | |||||||||||
Q5 | 0.580 | |||||||||||
Q6 | 0.732 | |||||||||||
Q7 | 0.856 | |||||||||||
Q8 | 0.876 | |||||||||||
Q9 | 0.864 | |||||||||||
Q10 | 0.853 | |||||||||||
Q11 | 0.691 | |||||||||||
Q12 | 0.786 | |||||||||||
Q13 | 0.773 | |||||||||||
Q14 | 0.609 | |||||||||||
Q15 | 0.726 | |||||||||||
Q16 | 0.556 | |||||||||||
Q17 | 0.713 | |||||||||||
Q18 | 0.794 | |||||||||||
Q19 | 0.797 | |||||||||||
Q20 | 0.749 | |||||||||||
Q21 | 0.573 | |||||||||||
Q22 | 0.667 | |||||||||||
Q23 | 0.616 | |||||||||||
Q24 | 0.518 | |||||||||||
Q25 | 0.837 | |||||||||||
Q26 | 0.781 | |||||||||||
Q27 | 0.812 | |||||||||||
Q28 | 0.603 | |||||||||||
Q29 | 0.837 | |||||||||||
Q30 | 0.720 | |||||||||||
Q31 | 0.652 | |||||||||||
Q32 | 0.904 | |||||||||||
Q33 | 0.600 | |||||||||||
Q34 | 0.737 | |||||||||||
Q35 | 0.658 | |||||||||||
Q36 | 0.838 | |||||||||||
Q37 | 0.833 | |||||||||||
Q38 | 0.868 | |||||||||||
Q39 | 0.848 | |||||||||||
Q40 | 0.549 | |||||||||||
Q41 | 0.692 | |||||||||||
AVE | 0.643 | 0.593 | 0.651 | 0.608 | 0.402 | 0.591 | 0.428 | 0.560 | 0.532 | 0.472 | 0.538 | 0.634 |
CR | 0.928 | 0.906 | 0.907 | 0.846 | 0.763 | 0.884 | 0.829 | 0.892 | 0.787 | 0.750 | 0.884 | 0.936 |
Demographic and Socio-Economic Variables | Group/Components | Frequency | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Gender | Female | 317 | 59.59% |
Male | 215 | 40.41% | |
Age | 18–30 | 198 | 37.22% |
30–50 | 251 | 47.18% | |
≥50 | 83 | 15.60% | |
Educational level | Secondary education | 157 | 29.51% |
University | 294 | 55.26% | |
Post-university | 81 | 15.23% | |
Residential area | Urban | 385 | 72.37% |
Rural | 147 | 27.63% | |
Marital status | Single | 169 | 31.77% |
Married | 363 | 68.23% | |
Occupation | Services | 207 | 38.91% |
Production | 144 | 27.07% | |
Student | 102 | 19.17% | |
Others | 79 | 14.85% | |
Family size | 1–2 persons | 162 | 30.45% |
3–4 persons | 259 | 48.68% | |
≥5 persons | 111 | 20.87% | |
Income (per month) | ≤500 € | 130 | 24.44% |
500–1000 € | 327 | 61.46% | |
≥1000 € | 75 | 14.10% | |
Number of years in e-waste recycling | Do not practice | 112 | 21.05% |
≤1 year | 106 | 19.92% | |
1–3 years | 223 | 41.92% | |
≥3 years | 91 | 17.11% | |
Number of hours spent on social media | ≤1 h | 92 | 17.29% |
1–2 h | 154 | 28.95% | |
3–4 h | 271 | 50.94% | |
≥5 h | 15 | 2.82% | |
Most frequently used social media | 237 | 44.55% | |
57 | 10.71% | ||
199 | 37.41% | ||
36 | 6.77% | ||
Others | 3 | 0.56% |
Issue | Questions | Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly Agree |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SE | I know which are the items that can be recycled in e-waste recycling process (Q9) | 10 (1.88%) | 16 (3.01%) | 53 (9.96%) | 149 (28.01%) | 304 (57.14%) |
I know where to take my e-waste for recycling (Q10) | 21 (3.95%) | 32 (6.02%) | 86 (16.17%) | 172 (32.33%) | 221 (41.54%) | |
I find it easy to participate in the e-waste recycling activities (Q11) | 20 (3.76%) | 30 (5.64%) | 89 (16.73%) | 178 (33.46%) | 215 (40.41%) | |
RESP | I feel responsible to take actions in order to manage the level of e-waste I generate (Q12) | 12 (2.26%) | 18 (3.38%) | 91 (17.11%) | 170 (31.95%) | 157 (45.30%) |
I feel responsible for the environment pollution due to e-waste generation (Q13) | 16 (3.01%) | 16 (3.01%) | 117 (21.99%) | 157 (29.51%) | 226 (42.48%) |
Hypotheses | Relationship | Structural Path Coefficients | Decision |
---|---|---|---|
H1 | Attitude -> Intention | 0.277 *** | Supported |
H2 | Awareness -> Intention | 0.202 ** | Supported |
H3 | Self-efficacy -> Intention | 0.121 ** | Supported |
H4 | Responsibility -> Intention | 0.083 ** | Supported |
H5 | Social norms -> Intention | 0.075 * | Supported |
H6 | Social influence -> Intention | 0.102 *** | Supported |
H7 | Social media -> Intention | 0.071 ** | Supported |
H8 | Government and NGOs -> Intention | 0.024 + | Supported |
H9 | Intention -> Behavior | 0.608 ** | Supported |
H10 | Government measures -> Behavior | 0.057 * | Supported |
H11 | Convenience -> Behavior | 0.026 + | Supported |
Hypotheses | Relationship | Structural Path Coefficients | Significance | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Female | Male | |||
H1 | Attitude -> Intention | 0.307 *** | 0.261 ** | Both |
H2 | Awareness -> Intention | 0.147 * | 0.198 ** | Both |
H3 | Self-efficacy -> Intention | 0.063 * | 0.156 *** | Both |
H4 | Responsibility -> Intention | 0.104 ** | 0.031 | Female |
H5 | Social norms -> Intention | 0.095 * | 0.061 | Female |
H6 | Social influence -> Intention | 0.098 ** | 0.087 ** | Both |
H7 | Social media -> Intention | 0.064 ** | 0.070 * | Both |
H8 | Government and NGOs -> Intention | 0.011 | 0.032 * | Male |
H9 | Intention -> Behavior | 0.549 ** | 0.606 *** | Both |
H10 | Government measures -> Behavior | 0.029 | 0.063 ** | Male |
H11 | Convenience -> Behavior | 0.014 | 0.057 * | Male |
Hypotheses | Relationship | Structural Path Coefficients | Significance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
≤30 | 30–50 | ≥50 | |||
H1 | Attitude -> Intention | 0.251 * | 0.284 *** | 0.265 * | All |
H2 | Awareness -> Intention | 0.174 ** | 0.222 * | 0.180 * | All |
H3 | Self-efficacy -> Intention | 0.147 * | 0.104 | 0.087 | ≤30 |
H4 | Responsibility -> Intention | 0.033 | 0.091 ** | 0.102 * | 30–50; ≥50 |
H5 | Social norms -> Intention | 0.062 | 0.094 ** | 0.091 * | 30–50; ≥50 |
H6 | Social influence -> Intention | 0.134 *** | 0.097 ** | 0.083 * | All |
H7 | Social media -> Intention | 0.088 *** | 0.064 * | 0.049 | ≤30; 30–50 |
H8 | Government and NGOs -> Intention | 0.042 * | 0.011 | 0.008 | ≤30 |
H9 | Intention -> Behavior | 0.583 ** | 0.596 ** | 0.611 *** | All |
H10 | Government measures -> Behavior | 0.040 | 0.063 | 0.059 * | ≥50 |
H11 | Convenience -> Behavior | 0.019 | 0.031 * | 0.024 | 30–50 |
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Delcea, C.; Crăciun, L.; Ioanăș, C.; Ferruzzi, G.; Cotfas, L.-A. Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2753. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072753
Delcea C, Crăciun L, Ioanăș C, Ferruzzi G, Cotfas L-A. Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania. Sustainability. 2020; 12(7):2753. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072753
Chicago/Turabian StyleDelcea, Camelia, Liliana Crăciun, Corina Ioanăș, Gabriella Ferruzzi, and Liviu-Adrian Cotfas. 2020. "Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania" Sustainability 12, no. 7: 2753. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072753