Behavioral intention analysis of waste separation in China - Case study of Hangzhou using theory of planned behavior

Abstract

In China, governments are promoting waste management as an urgent environmental issue. Hangzhou is one of eight cities in China that have launched a pilot run for household waste separation since 2010. The government survey and a previous study of the authors have confirmed the gap between citizens' positive attitudes and their real behavior related to waste separation. In our study, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) is applied to analyse the factors that could influence the behavioral intention of the citizens towards separating waste. The structural model based on TPB was constructed to represent the framework of the citizens' intentions related to their waste separation behviour, based on a pilot survey and expert interview. Following the model, a 211-sample questionnaire survey was designed and conducted in Hangzhou. 19 extracted factors are categorized and structured following TPB. The result shows: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control have positive influence on behavioral intention; perceived behavioral control exerts stronger influence than the other factors. Based on the findings, this study discusses policy implications and recommendations for improving the current policy and the situation of household waste separation.