IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i8p4805-d795694.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

E-Device Purchase and Disposal Behaviours in the UAE: An Exploratory Study

Author

Listed:
  • Ayisha Siddiqua

    (College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates)

  • Maisa El Gamal

    (College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates)

  • Waheed Kareem Abdul

    (Institute of Management Technology, Dubai P.O. Box 345006, United Arab Emirates)

  • Lama Mahmoud

    (College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates)

  • Fares M Howari

    (College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates)

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the high-income countries in the Middle Eastern region and is vying for sustainable development in every sector. One of the UAE sustainable development goals is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns; hence, the emphasis is on circular economy. UAE is one of largest consumers of e-devices, and their proper disposal is of paramount importance. E-waste disposal awareness leads to better disposal behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to understand the e-device purchase and disposal behaviour among university communities in the UAE. A survey was conducted among the students and staff members of a federally funded university in the UAE, namely Zayed University, and quantitative methodology was adopted to analyze the collected data. The study found that 47.95% of respondents purchased mobile phones, and 65% of the respondents purchased 1–3 electronic devices every year. Through chi-square test, gender of the respondents was found to be related with e-device ownership. Through the analysis of variance (ANOVA), age and field of specialization were found to affect the knowledge about e-waste. Older and the respondents with science specialization were more aware about e-waste. Most of the respondents disposed e-devices, such as batteries, earphones/headphones, and electronic toys, along with the household trash. A very small percentage of respondents disposed e-devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets with the household trash. Mostly, these were either repaired, donated, or sold to second-hand users. Many respondents were neither aware of the government initiatives on e-waste collection nor participated in government-sponsored e-waste recycling. The study further identified that 67% of the respondents were aware of the toxicity of e-waste, and 61% of the respondents were keen to join e-waste recycling drives at university. The findings of the study imply that the policy makers need to incentivize e-waste-disposal systems and develop targeted awareness approaches to enhance e-waste disposal in the UAE.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayisha Siddiqua & Maisa El Gamal & Waheed Kareem Abdul & Lama Mahmoud & Fares M Howari, 2022. "E-Device Purchase and Disposal Behaviours in the UAE: An Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4805-:d:795694
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4805/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4805/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Samantha E. Cruz-Sotelo & Sara Ojeda-Benítez & Jorge Jáuregui Sesma & Karla I. Velázquez-Victorica & Néstor Santillán-Soto & O. Rafael García-Cueto & Víctor Alcántara Concepción & Camilo Alcántara, 2017. "E-Waste Supply Chain in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Britta Oerke & Franz X. Bogner, 2010. "Gender, age and subject matter: impact on teachers’ ecological values," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 111-122, June.
    3. Cristina Maranesi & Pietro De Giovanni, 2020. "Modern Circular Economy: Corporate Strategy, Supply Chain, and Industrial Symbiosis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-25, November.
    4. Diana Puspita Sari & Nur Aini Masruroh & Anna Maria Sri Asih, 2021. "Consumer Intention to Participate in E-Waste Collection Programs: A Study of Smartphone Waste in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-28, March.
    5. Venkatesha Murthy & Seeram Ramakrishna, 2022. "A Review on Global E-Waste Management: Urban Mining towards a Sustainable Future and Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Hong Thi Thu Nguyen & Rern-Jay Hung & Chun-Hung Lee & Hang Thi Thu Nguyen, 2018. "Determinants of Residents’ E-Waste Recycling Behavioral Intention: A Case Study from Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Sidra Ramzan & Chenguang Liu & Yan Xu & Hina Munir & Bhumika Gupta, 2020. "The adoption of online e-waste collection platform to improve environmental sustainability: an empirical study of Chinese millennials," Post-Print hal-02560190, HAL.
    8. Camelia Delcea & Liliana Crăciun & Corina Ioanăș & Gabriella Ferruzzi & Liviu-Adrian Cotfas, 2020. "Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-28, April.
    9. Bárbara de Oliveira Vieira & Patricia Guarnieri & Lucio Camara e Silva & Solange Alfinito, 2020. "Prioritizing Barriers to Be Solved to the Implementation of Reverse Logistics of E-Waste in Brazil under a Multicriteria Decision Aid Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-30, May.
    10. Cao, Jian & Lu, Bo & Chen, Yangyang & Zhang, Xuemei & Zhai, Guangshu & Zhou, Gengui & Jiang, Boxin & Schnoor, Jerald L., 2016. "Extended producer responsibility system in China improves e-waste recycling: Government policies, enterprise, and public awareness," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 882-894.
    11. Taher Ben Yahya & Noriza Mohd Jamal & Balan Sundarakani & Siti Zaleha Omain, 2022. "The Potential Determinants for Smartphone Recycling Behaviour Sustainability in UAE," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Keshav Parajuly & Henrik Wenzel, 2017. "Product Family Approach in E-Waste Management: A Conceptual Framework for Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-14, May.
    13. Corina MARINESCU & Carmen Nadia CIOCOIU & Claudiu CICEA, 2016. "Socioeconomic Factors Affecting E-Waste Collection Rate In Countries From European Union," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(1), pages 152-160, November.
    14. Nurhadi Wibowo & Jerry Kuswara Piton & Rahmat Nurcahyo & Djoko Sihono Gabriel & Farizal Farizal & Alfian Ferdiansyah Madsuha, 2021. "Strategies for Improving the E-Waste Management Supply Chain Sustainability in Indonesia (Jakarta)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "Defining the multi-dimensional aspects of household waste management: A study of reported behavior in Devon," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 172-192.
    16. Qingfeng Meng & Hongming Zhu & Zhen Li & Jianguo Du & Xiangyu Wang & Mi Jeong Kim, 2018. "How Green Building Product Decisions from Customers Can Be Transitioned to Manufacturers: An Agent-Based Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, October.
    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. Gayle Patrao & Ajit Karnik, 2023. "Identifying Drivers and Hindrances to the Disposal of Used Mobile Phones: A Study of User Behavior in the UAE," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, September.

    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. Hilal Shams & Altaf Hossain Molla & Mohd Nizam Ab Rahman & Hawa Hishamuddin & Zambri Harun & Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar, 2023. "Exploring Industry-Specific Research Themes on E-Waste: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Bablu K. Ghosh & Saad Mekhilef & Shameem Ahmad & Swapan K. Ghosh, 2022. "A Review on Global Emissions by E-Products Based Waste: Technical Management for Reduced Effects and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Dhiya Durani Sofian Azizi & Marlia M. Hanafiah & Kok Sin Woon, 2023. "Material Flow Analysis in WEEE Management for Circular Economy: A Content Review on Applications, Limitations, and Future Outlook," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Horațiu Vermeșan & Ancuța-Elena Tiuc & Marius Purcar, 2019. "Advanced Recovery Techniques for Waste Materials from IT and Telecommunication Equipment Printed Circuit Boards," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, December.
    5. Lyu, Tu & Chen, Hao & Guo, Yulin, 2023. "Investigating innovation diffusion, social influence, and personal inner forces to understand people's participation in online e-waste recycling," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Camelia Delcea & Liliana Crăciun & Corina Ioanăș & Gabriella Ferruzzi & Liviu-Adrian Cotfas, 2020. "Determinants of Individuals’ E-Waste Recycling Decision: A Case Study from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-28, April.
    7. Monica Leba & Andreea Ionica & Raluca Dovleac & Remus Dobra, 2018. "Waste Management System for Batteries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, January.
    8. Matthias Winfried Kleespies & Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, 2020. "Impact of biological education and gender on students’ connection to nature and relational values," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Andreas Falke & Nadine Schröder & Claudia Hofmann, 2022. "The influence of values in sustainable consumption among millennials," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(6), pages 899-928, August.
    10. Halkos, George & Gkargkavouzi, Anastasia & Matsiori, Steriani, 2018. "Teachers’ environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behavior: An application of CNS and EID scales," MPRA Paper 84505, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. repec:arp:tjssrr:2019:p:1187-1192 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Md Sahabuddin & Md Billal Hossain & Maryam Khokhar & Mohamed Sharaf & Sarmad Ejaz & Faisal Ejaz & Csaba Bálint Illés, 2023. "The Effect of Eco-Preneurship and Green Technology Management on Greenhouse Gas Discharge: An Analysis on East Asian Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, April.
    13. Elena C. Prenovitz & Peter K. Hazlett & Chandler S. Reilly, 2023. "Can Markets Improve Recycling Performance? A Cross-Country Regression Analysis and Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    14. Luiza Loredana Năstase, 2022. "Statistical Analysis Regarding Waste Generation and Treatment in Romania between 2016 and 2020," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(2), pages 124-129, Decembrie.
    15. Yaprak Kurtsal & Davide Viaggi, 2020. "Exploring Collaboration and Consumer Behavior in Food Community Networks and Constraints Preventing Active Participation: The Case of Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-24, April.
    16. Michaela Maurer & Franz Xaver Bogner, 2020. "First steps towards sustainability? University freshmen perceptions on nature versus environment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, June.
    17. Daniel Baratieri Valente & Ricardo César da Silva Guabiroba & Marco Antonio Conejero & Marcelino Aurélio Vieira Silva & Aldara da Silva César, 2021. "Economic analysis of waste electrical and electronic equipment management: a study involving recycling cooperatives in Brazil," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 17628-17649, December.
    18. Norazilawati Abdullah* & Kung-Teck Wong & Rosnidar Mansor & Lilia Halim & Haryanti Mohd Affandi, 2019. "Development of Environmental Education Model for Primary School Pupils in Malaysia," The Journal of Social Sciences Research, Academic Research Publishing Group, vol. 5(4), pages 852-857, 04-2019.
    19. Javier Cifuentes-Faura & Ursula Faura-Martínez & Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga, 2020. "Assessment of Sustainable Development in Secondary School Economics Students According to Gender," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-16, July.
    20. Mohammed Laeequddin & Waheed Kareem Abdul & Vinita Sahay & Aviral Kumar Tiwari, 2022. "Factors That Influence the Safe Disposal Behavior of E-Waste by Electronics Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-16, April.
    21. Nur Shafeera Mohamad & Ai Chin Thoo & Hon Tat Huam, 2022. "The Determinants of Consumers’ E-Waste Recycling Behavior through the Lens of Extended Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-27, July.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4805-:d:795694. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.