IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v109y2016icp176-186.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What keeps Chinese from recycling: Accessibility of recycling facilities and the behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Suopeng
  • Zhang, Mingli
  • Yu, Xueying
  • Ren, Hao

Abstract

In China, less than 2% of waste processed in the municipal disposal system is recycled. Past research has dedicated great efforts in identifying reasons for the country's low recycling rate. However, these studies are constrained for their over-dependence on survey methodology and ignoring the potential gap between reported intention to behave and behavior. In a controlled lab experiment, this study examines waste recycling behaviors, as well as the associated psychological behavioral antecedents, with varied levels of accessibility of recycling facilities. We confirm the hypothesis that lack of effective recycling facilities constitutes one of the obstacles that keep Chinese people from sorting and reusing most recyclable wastes. The results indicate that enhanced accessibility of recycling facilities would lower behavioral costs and encourage people to take that action. While this strategy directly changes behaviors, it has little impact on those behavioral antecedents. The study also confirms the gap between behavioral intention and behavior. While all participants in all scenarios showed equally strong willingness to recycle, the percentage of people who recycled is over 25% higher in the scenario with easily accessible recycling facilities, compared to those with hardly accessible facilities. All the above findings are relevant for making recycling promotion policies and cut through the vicious mixed waste disposal and collection cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Suopeng & Zhang, Mingli & Yu, Xueying & Ren, Hao, 2016. "What keeps Chinese from recycling: Accessibility of recycling facilities and the behavior," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 176-186.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:109:y:2016:i:c:p:176-186
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.02.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344916300283
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.02.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Georgina Santos, 2008. "The London Experience," Chapters, in: Erik Verhoef & Michiel C.J. Bliemer & Linda Steg & Bert van Wee (ed.), Pricing in Road Transport, chapter 14, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Albertine van Diepen, Henk Voogd, 2001. "Sustainability and planning: does urban form matter?," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(1), pages 59-74.
    3. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    4. Bernstad, A. & la Cour Jansen, J. & Aspegren, A., 2013. "Door-stepping as a strategy for improved food waste recycling behaviour – Evaluation of a full-scale experiment," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 94-103.
    5. John Thøgersen, 2005. "How May Consumer Policy Empower Consumers for Sustainable Lifestyles?," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 143-177, June.
    6. Dai, Y.C. & Gordon, M.P.R. & Ye, J.Y. & Xu, D.Y. & Lin, Z.Y. & Robinson, N.K.L. & Woodard, R. & Harder, M.K., 2015. "Why doorstepping can increase household waste recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 9-19.
    7. Mo, Hongpin & Wen, Zongguo & Chen, Jining, 2009. "China's recyclable resources recycling system and policy: A case study in Suzhou," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(7), pages 409-419.
    8. Hunt Allcott & Todd Rogers, 2014. "The Short-Run and Long-Run Effects of Behavioral Interventions: Experimental Evidence from Energy Conservation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(10), pages 3003-3037, October.
    9. Erik Verhoef & Michiel C.J. Bliemer & Linda Steg & Bert van Wee (ed.), 2008. "Pricing in Road Transport," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 4192.
    10. Timlett, R.E. & Williams, I.D., 2008. "Public participation and recycling performance in England: A comparison of tools for behaviour change," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 622-634.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lizin, Sebastien & Van Dael, Miet & Van Passel, Steven, 2017. "Battery pack recycling: Behaviour change interventions derived from an integrative theory of planned behaviour study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 66-82.
    2. Yanyan Guo & Ran Wei & Xingqing Zhang & Fuliang Chai & Youcai Zhao & Tao Zhou, 2022. "Positive Impacts of the Overall-Process Management Measures on Promoting Municipal Solid Waste Classification: A Case Study of Chongqing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-13, November.
    3. Pinyi Su & Muhammad Imran & Muhammad Nadeem & Shamsheer ul Haq, 2023. "The Role of Environmental Law in Farmers’ Environment-Protecting Intentions and Behavior Based on Their Legal Cognition: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-22, May.
    4. Lee, Stacy H.N. & Chang, Hyo Jung (Julie) & Zhao, Li, 2023. "The importance of personal norms and situational expectancies to sustainable behaviors: The norm activation and situational expectancy-value theories," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    5. Ossama Ahmed Labib & Latifah Manaf & Amir Hamzah Sharaai & Siti Sarah Mohamad Zaid, 2021. "Understanding the Effect of Internal and External Factors on Households’ Willingness to Sort Waste in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-18, September.
    6. Tang, Yanyan & Zhang, Qi & Liu, Boyu & Li, Yan & Ni, Ruiyan & Wang, Yi, 2023. "What influences residents’ intention to participate in the electric vehicle battery recycling? Evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    7. Liyuan Liu & Yen Hsu, 2022. "Motivating factors behind the public’s use of smart recycling systems: perceived playfulness and environmental concern," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Krushna Chandra Sahoo & Rachna Soni & Madhanraj Kalyanasundaram & Surya Singh & Vivek Parashar & Ashish Pathak & Manju R. Purohit & Yogesh Sabde & Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg & Kristi Sidney Annerstedt &, 2022. "Dynamics of Household Waste Segregation Behaviour in Urban Community in Ujjain, India: A Framework Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-14, June.
    9. Lingyun Mi & Yuhuan Sun & Lijie Qiao & Tianwen Jia & Yang Yang & Tao Lv, 2021. "Analysis of the Cause of Household Carbon Lock-In for Chinese Urban Households," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Li, Ye & Yang, Tianjian & Zhang, Yu, 2022. "Evolutionary game theory-based system dynamics modeling for community solid waste classification in China," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Gang Li & Mengyu Lu & Sen Lai & Yonghong Li, 2023. "Research on Power Battery Recycling in the Green Closed-Loop Supply Chain: An Evolutionary Game-Theoretic Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Tingting Liu & Zichen Zheng & Zhichao Wen & Shangyun Wu & Yaru Liu & Jing Cao & Zhixiong Weng, 2022. "Factors Influencing Residents’ Behavior in Internet Recycling: From the Perspective of the Adoption of New Technology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-16, May.
    13. Ma, Jing & Yin, Zhaoyun & McBean, Edward A., 2023. "Does information intervention influence residential waste-source separation behavior?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    14. Huilin Wang & Aweewan Mangmeechai, 2021. "Understanding the Gap between Environmental Intention and Pro-Environmental Behavior towards the Waste Sorting and Management Policy of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-16, January.
    15. Tian, Xi & Wu, Yufeng & Qu, Shen & Liang, Sai & Xu, Ming & Zuo, Tieyong, 2016. "The disposal and willingness to pay for residents scrap fluorescent lamps in China: A case study of Beijing," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 103-111.
    16. Yalin Yuan & Minyue Xu & Hanxin Chen, 2022. "What Factors Affect Farmers’ Levels of Domestic Waste Sorting Behavior? A Case Study from Shaanxi Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, September.
    17. Yiming Song & Yating Zhan & Yanbin Qi & Dingde Xu & Xin Deng, 2022. "Does Political Participation Influence the Waste Classification Behavior of Rural Residents? Empirical Evidence from Rural China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-12, April.
    18. Jing Liu & Khairul Manami Kamarudin & Yuqi Liu & Jinzhi Zou & Jiaqi Zhang, 2022. "Developing a Behavior Change Framework for Pandemic Prevention and Control in Public Spaces in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    19. Wang, Wei & Wu, Yufeng, 2017. "An overview of recycling and treatment of spent LiFePO4 batteries in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 233-243.
    20. Elena Borasino & Hanna Fuhrmann-Riebel, 2022. "New Kids on the Recycling Block: the Role of Supermarkets and Bodegas for Sustainable Consumer Behaviour in Lima," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    21. Maria Giuseppina Bartolo & Rocco Servidio & Anna Lisa Palermiti & Maria Rosaria Nappa & Angela Costabile, 2023. "Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Well-Being in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Place Attachment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-12, May.
    22. Lin Shen & Hongyun Si & Lei Yu & Haolun Si, 2019. "Factors Influencing Young People’s Intention toward Municipal Solid Waste Sorting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-19, May.
    23. Feiyu Chen & Fang Wang & Jing Hou, 2020. "Individual Preference Framework or Group Preference Framework? Which Will Regulate the Impact Path of Product Facilities on Residents’ Waste-Sorting Behavior Better," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-19, March.
    24. Yang, Xisi & Thøgersen, John, 2022. "When people are green and greedy: A new perspective of recycling rewards and crowding-out in Germany, the USA and China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 217-235.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hancong Ma & Mei Li & Xin Tong & Ping Dong, 2023. "Community-Level Household Waste Disposal Behavior Simulation and Visualization under Multiple Incentive Policies—An Agent-Based Modelling Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Willman, Kenneth W., 2015. "Information sharing and curbside recycling: A pilot study to evaluate the value of door-to-door distribution of informational literature," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 162-171.
    3. Kumar, Bipul, 2012. "Theory of Planned Behaviour Approach to Understand the Purchasing Behaviour for Environmentally Sustainable Products," IIMA Working Papers WP2012-12-08, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    4. Kumar, Bipul & Manrai, Ajay K. & Manrai, Lalita A., 2017. "Purchasing behaviour for environmentally sustainable products: A conceptual framework and empirical study," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 1-9.
    5. Owino Odhiambo Joseph, 2021. "Pro-Environmental Consumer Behavior: A Critical Review of Literature," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 15(1), pages 1-1, July.
    6. Phu Nguyen-Van & Anne Stenger & Tuyen Tiet, 2021. "Social incentive factors in interventions promoting sustainable behaviors: A meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-27, December.
    7. Wang, Xiaonan & Tzeng, Shian-Yang & Mardani, Abbas, 2022. "Spatial differentiation and driving mechanisms of urban household waste separation behavior in Shanghai, China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    8. Ingrid Moons & Patrick De Pelsmacker, 2015. "An Extended Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour to Predict the Usage Intention of the Electric Car: A Multi-Group Comparison," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-34, May.
    9. Uzziah Mutumbi & Gladman Thondhlana & Sheunesu Ruwanza, 2022. "Co-Designed Interventions Yield Significant Electricity Savings among Low-Income Households in Makhanda South Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, March.
    10. Christian Dienes, 2015. "Energy and Material Efficiency Improvements, Compliance Strategies, and Investments in Resource Efficiency: A Cross-Country Study," Schumpeter Discussion Papers SDP15004, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    11. Mathieu Lefebvre & Anne Stenger, 2020. "Short- & long-term effects of monetary and non-monetary incentives to cooperate in public good games: An experiment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, January.
    12. Maho Nakagawa & Mathieu Lefebvre & Anne Stenger, 2022. "Long-lasting effects of incentives and social preference: A public goods experiment," Post-Print hal-03777681, HAL.
    13. Quaglione, Davide & Cassetta, Ernesto & Crociata, Alessandro & Sarra, Alessandro, 2017. "Exploring additional determinants of energy-saving behaviour: The influence of individuals' participation in cultural activities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 503-511.
    14. Schuitema, Geertje & Steg, Linda & Forward, Sonja, 2010. "Explaining differences in acceptability before and acceptance after the implementation of a congestion charge in Stockholm," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 99-109, February.
    15. Farrow, Katherine & Grolleau, Gilles & Ibanez, Lisette, 2017. "Social Norms and Pro-environmental Behavior: A Review of the Evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-13.
    16. Helen X. H. Bao & Yuna Song, 2022. "Improving Food Security through Entomophagy: Can Behavioural Interventions Influence Consumer Preference for Edible Insects?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Bin Zhao & Xin Huangfu, 2023. "The More Training, the More Willingness? A Positive Spillover Effect Analysis of Voluntary Behavior in Environmental Protection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-16, June.
    18. Georgina Santos & Erik Verhoef, 2011. "Road Congestion Pricing," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 23, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. Dieplinger, Maria & Fürst, Elmar, 2014. "The acceptability of road pricing: Evidence from two studies in Vienna and four other European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 10-18.
    20. Thanos Ioannou & Katerina Bazigou & Afroditi Katsigianni & Michalis Fotiadis & Christina Chroni & Thrassyvoulos Manios & Ioannis Daliakopoulos & Christos Tsompanidis & Eleni Michalodimitraki & Katia L, 2022. "The “A2UFood Training Kit”: Participatory Workshops to Minimize Food Loss and Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:109:y:2016:i:c:p:176-186. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.