Nudging to promote household waste source separation: Mechanisms and spillover effects

Proper management of food waste, a major component of municipal solid waste (MSW), is needed, especially in developing Asian countries where most MSW is disposed of in landfill sites without any pretreatment. Source separation can contribute to solving problems derived from the disposal of food waste. An organic waste source separation and collection programme has been operated in model areas in Hanoi, Vietnam, since 2007. This study proposed three key parameters (participation rate, proper separation rate and proper discharge rate) for behaviour related to source separation of household organic waste, and monitored the progress of the programme based on the physical composition of household waste sampled from 558 households in model programme areas of Hanoi. The results showed that 13.8% of 558 households separated organic waste, and 33.0% discharged mixed (unseparated) waste improperly. About 41.5% (by weight) of the waste collected as organic waste was contaminated by inorganic waste, and one-third of the waste disposed of as organic waste by separators was inorganic waste. We proposed six hypothetical future household behaviour scenarios to help local officials identify a final or midterm goal for the programme. We also suggested that the city government take further actions to increase the number of people participating in separating organic waste, improve the accuracy of separation and prevent non-separators from discharging mixed waste improperly.

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Proximate composition of household waste and applicability of waste management technologies by source separation in Hanoi, Vietnam

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management ◽

10.1007/s10163-014-0348-5 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 517-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kosuke Kawai ◽

Luong Thi Mai Huong ◽

Masato Yamada ◽

Masahiro Osako

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Proximate Composition ◽

Source Separation ◽

Household Waste

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Source separation and recycling potential of municipal solid waste in Ghana

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-03-2015-0038 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 210-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

S. Oduro-Kwarteng ◽

K. P. Anarfi ◽

H. M.K. Essandoh

Keyword(s):

Solid Waste ◽

Low Income ◽

Separation Efficiency ◽

Source Separation ◽

Economic Incentives ◽

Household Waste ◽

Middle Income ◽

Content Type ◽

Per Capita ◽

Low And Middle Income

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the waste characteristics and separation efficiency of source separation of household waste in low- and middle-income communities in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 60 households participated in the household survey, education on source separation and pilot source separation exercise. The solid waste was sorted into six fractions and three recycling categories (biodegradable; paper and plastic; residue). Findings – The mean generation rate of solid waste was 0.52±0.26 kg/per capita/day for the low-income community and 0.65±0.27 kg/per capita/day for the middle-income community. The waste fractions in the communities (low, middle income) were biodegradable organics (59.15, 65.68 per cent), plastics (11.01, 10.68 per cent), papers (3.15, 4.51 per cent), glass (0.89, 2.57 per cent), metals (0.96, 4.63 per cent) and miscellaneous (24.84, 11.93 per cent), respectively. The separation efficiency for organic category was 70 per cent, inorganic and residue was over 69 per cent and the paper and plastics was over 60 per cent. Research limitations/implications – The study suggests that the success of source separation programme hinges on education and economic incentives. It was noted that the sample size could be increased to enhance the accuracy of the data for prediction purpose. Practical implications – The findings showed there is potential for recycling through source separation programme in low-and middle-income communities. Public education and economic incentives are necessary for successful source separation programme. Originality/value – The paper provides insight into source separation to contribute to better understanding of how city authorities in developing countries could take advantage of economic incentives to scale-up recycling.

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Application of theory of planned behaviour to households’ source separation behaviour in Ghana

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-10-2017-0122 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 704-721 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Hamdiyah Alhassan ◽

Felix Ankomah Asante ◽

Martin Oteng-Ababio ◽

Simon Bawakyillenuo

Keyword(s):

Solid Waste ◽

Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽

Source Separation ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Household Waste ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Planned Behaviour ◽

Content Type ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Waste Separation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that encourage households’ source separation behaviour in Accra and Tamale Metropolises in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Using a cross-sectional design, 855 households of Ghana were interviewed based on the theoretical framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The ordered probit regression model was employed to examine the factors that influence households’ source separation intention. Findings The results indicated that educational attainment of head of household, total income of household, occupation type of household head, information, past experience with source separation, inconvenience in terms of time, space and availability of formal source separation scheme, attitude, subjective norm and the location of the respondents significantly predicted households’ solid waste separation intentions. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design does not determine causality but an association. Thus, future studies should examine actual household waste separation behaviour by using the experimental design to test the TPB model. Practical implications To promote solid waste separation at source, the public should be educated and provided with solid waste separation schemes that are efficient and compatible with households’ preference. Originality/value This study was partly motivated by the fact that despite the benefits associated with source separation, little attention has been given to formal source separation in Ghana. Moreover, there are limited studies on source separation behaviour in Ghana using the TPB as the theoretical framework.

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Identifying Challenges and Barriers to Participating in the Source Separation of Waste Program in Tabriz, Northwest of Iran: A Qualitative Study from the Citizens’ Perspective

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources7030053 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 53 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Towhid Babazadeh ◽

Haidar Nadrian ◽

Mohammad Mosaferi ◽

Hamid Allahverdipour

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Source Separation ◽

Household Waste ◽

Management Systems ◽

Northwest Of Iran ◽

Barriers And Challenges ◽

Waste Separation ◽

Collecting System ◽

Citizen’S Participation

There are many problems with the waste management systems (WMSs) in developing countries. In order to provide applicable strategies for improving the WMSs in these countries, there is a need to identify the barriers and challenges at the community level. Our aim in the present study was to explain the challenges and barriers in front of the citizen’s participation in the Source Separation of Waste (SSW) program in Tabriz, Iran. In this qualitative research, 13 citizens were invited to participate and were then interviewed. Data were analyzed with the content analysis approach. MAXQDA10 was applied to facilitate the organization of data. Four core categories of the barriers to sourcing the separation of household waste were identified: (a) problems in the collecting system of waste; (b) a lack of responsibility among citizens; (c) insufficient awareness among citizens, and (d) the expectation of receiving incentives. The findings of the study indicated the potential infrastructure barriers that may hinder in-process household solid waste separation attempts. Recycling investors, environmental health policymakers, and stakeholders should take into account these barriers while designing, implementing, and/or reorienting the Source Separation of Waste (SSW) programs.

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