What Do We Know about Intention to Discard Single-Use Plastic? Empirical Evidence in Malaysia

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the crucial factors that will influence the intention to discard single-use plastic in Malaysia. The underlying framework of this research model is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This empirical study is using an online questionnaire which is distributed to 364 respondents in Selangor and Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya). The research hypotheses are tested using linear regression-stepwise technique. The finding from this study revealed that for the case of Malaysia, intention to discard single-use plastic is predominantly influenced by Consumer Knowledge, Environmental Concern, Psychological Benefit, Social Influence and Willingness-to-Pay. Therefore, this paper provides valuable insight with regards to the predictors that influences the intention to discard the single-use plastics usage within the consumers in Malaysia. It offers information for policy makers with collaboration from industry players to look into better solution and appropriate policies intervention in order to embolden the usage of eco-friendly alternatives that could replace single-use plastics in Malaysia. Future study and improvements are proposed to be done to consider other possible predictors and improve the characterization of respondents by extending the survey to a wider coverage within Malaysia.