What drives individuals to dispose of waste mobile phones? A case study in Indonesia

Abstract

While end-of-life mobile phones make up a growing fraction of the total volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated worldwide, their collection rate remains low. In order to address this problem, it is necessary to understand individual consumers' disposal behaviors, especially in the context of developing countries. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to assess the determinants of disposal behaviors regarding waste mobile phones in a country lacking well-established systems. This study conceptualizes a model based on the theory of planned behavior and proposes five types of disposal behaviors: keeping, reselling, donating, recycling, and discarding. Models were tested using a survey administered to residents of Jakarta, Indonesia. Through use of structural equation modeling, this study shows that improving environmental awareness can stimulate subsequent responsible disposal behaviors. It also reveals that throwing waste mobile phones into mixed bins is common practice in Indonesia.