An empirical study on analyzing the plastic waste separation behavior on rural households in Chhattisgarh

Nayanathara Thathsarani Pilapitiya P.G., Ratnayake A.S.

People discover various materials from time to time that break the boundaries of traditional materials. Plastic is a revolutionized material, and is referred to as “a material with 1,000 uses”. This review summarized up-to-date research on plastic and its waste pollution. Plastic has a domain throughout human life with its versatile properties such as lightweight, high durability, flexibility, and low production cost. This article describes the applications, benefits, production, consumption, and classifications of plastics. Plastic commercialization began with the Second World War and grew all over the world within less than a century. The global annual production of plastic is more than 359 million tons. Despite all the benefits, plastics cause severe environmental and public health issues. Accordingly, this study addresses the major issues of plastic waste on the environment and human health. Plastics can degrade into micro to nano sizes, and those fine particles are more spreadable in air, water, and soil. Therefore, both terrestrial and aquatic animals go through various negative impacts such as ingestion, entangling, ulcers, low reproduction, and oxidative stress. Microplastics also degrade human health due to cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, birth defects, cancer, etc. The closing contains the developed end-of-life options (e.g., recycling and reprocessing, incineration with energy recovery, modification reuse, value addition, and landfilling) of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic wastes. Several international, regional/national level legislations and policies/concepts (e.g., plastic trade, 3R policy, and circular economy) are available to manage plastic and plastic waste generation. Plastic waste management is also discussed offering practical insights and real-world scenarios. Solutions and challenges in effective plastic waste management guide to create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible approach. Finally, this review article highlights the importance of judicious decisions and the involvement of all stakeholders to overcome the plastic waste crisis.

Savari M., Damaneh H.E., Damaneh H.E., Cotton M.

AbstractSustainable agriculture requires cooperative and coordinated action across multiple sectors and policy domains. However, farmer-stakeholder behaviors and action remain pivotal to sustainable food system management in many rural development contexts. We assess farmer pro-environmental behavioral intention through the development and application of a novel integrated approach combining two dominant psychological theories of behavior change: the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We apply this framework to targeted research with potato growers of Kerman Province in southeastern Iran, using survey data (sample n = 381) analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The integrated NAM-TPB model provides insight into both pro-social and self-interested motivations for farmer pro-environmental behavioral intention, with the model explaining 77% of total variance. We found that three variables, Awareness of Consequence (AC), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), and Subjective Norms (SN) were the strongest indicators of pro-environmental behavioral intention. We recommend therefore that agricultural extension and state-led farmer education should first emphasize awareness-raising of negative environmental impacts of current farming practices within training programs, and second, improve social learning amongst farmer communities through sustained farmer community engagement, thus “stabilizing” a social norm of environmental protection amongst peer networks of agricultural workers.

Khuc Q.V., Dang T., Tran M., Nguyen D.T., Nguyen T., Pham P., Tran T.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Vietnam is tackling environmental pollution, particularly plastic waste. This study contributes to the literature on environmental culture and practical solutions by better understanding households’ behaviours and motivations for (i) sorting waste, (ii) contributing to the environmental fund and (iii) relocating. The questionnaire-based interview method was used to randomly collect information from 730 households in 25 provinces in Vietnam during February 2022. Bayesian regression models, coupled with the mindsponge mechanism, were applied to analyse the data. The results showed that people’s strategies and responses to plastic waste pollution vary: 38.63% of respondents were sorting waste at home, 74.25% of households agreed to contribute to the environmental fund, and 23.56% had a plan to relocate for a better living place. The households’ strategies and intentions were driven by several structural and contextual factors such as age of household head, income, care about the environment, and the perceived effects of polluted waste. More importantly, communication was a robust variable in sorting waste decisions, which suggested that better communication would help increase people’s awareness and real actions in reducing plastic waste and ultimately improving the environment. These findings will benefit the ongoing green economy, circular economy, and green growth transition toward more sustainable development, particularly in developing and fast-population-growing countries.

Vinti G., Vaccari M.

Solid waste management (SWM) in rural areas of many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) represents a critical and underrated topic. However, almost half of the world’s population still lives in rural areas and an adequate SWM is crucial in reducing environmental and health threats. A lack of knowledge and appropriate tools often leads to inappropriate practices such as waste dumping and uncontrolled burning. However, appropriate methods can transform waste into resources and even guarantee a revenue source. This manuscript provides an overview of the state of the knowledge characterising SWM in rural communities of LMICs, analysing common practices and principal issues. Different solid waste fractions are considered. Virtuous approaches are presented, taking into account recent sustainable solutions. Considering that a relevant part of the world population is still living in rural areas, the benefits associated with an appropriate SWM may be enormous. Such activities may improve local conditions from social, environmental and health perspectives; furthermore, they may have a global impact on facing climate change and environmental pollution.

Liu Q., Xu Q., Shen X., Chen B., Esfahani S.S.

Economic growth and rapid urbanization have resulted in various urban issues related to sustainable development in emerging economies such as China. Nowadays, two-thirds of China’s cities are besieged by waste and one-fourth of the cities have no space to build landfills. China is embarking on a top-down waste sorting revolution, in which residents’ awareness and behaviour of participation are fundamental to the success of garbage classification. The purpose of this paper is to understand residents’ waste sorting behaviour and identify the influencing factors in China. The subjects of this study are urban and rural residents in Jiaxing, where local government has begun to encourage waste classification but has not yet legalized it. With the integration of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and value-belief-norm theory (NAM), this study represents a “motivation-intention-behaviour” theoretical model for the systemic illustration of the antecedents of household waste sorting behaviour. A total of 541 questionnaires were administered in person in households in Jiaxing, China. Structural equation modelling with partial least squares was applied to analyse empirically. The results show that attitudes (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioural control (PBC) have a significant positive effect on the intention of household waste sorting (WSI), and the perceived policy effectiveness (PPE) has a positive and significant effect on the attitudes and waste sorting intention. The waste sorting intention has a positive and significant effect on waste sorting behaviour (WSB). In addition, individual characteristics have a significant impact on waste sorting behaviour, where respondents of women, higher income, and middle and old age are more willing to implement waste sorting behaviours. This study theoretically contributes to the literature by improving the understanding of the determinants of household solid waste sorting behaviour. It also provides several recommendations to improve existing policies at the practitioner level. These recommendations can be valuable references for waste management in China and other emerging economies.

Smith R.L., Takkellapati S., Riegerix R.C.

As efforts are made toward establishing a circular economy that engages in activities that maintain resources at their highest values for as long as possible, an important aspect is understanding the systems which allow recycling to occur. In this article a common plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, i.e., PET or plastic #1, has been studied because it is recycled at relatively high rates in the U.S. as compared to other plastics. A material flow analysis is described for PET resin showing materials collected, reclaimed for flake, and converted into items with recycled content. Imports/exports, reclaimer residue, and disposal with mismanaged waste are all shown for U.S. flows of PET. Barriers to recycling PET exist in the collecting, sorting, reclaiming, and converting steps, and this article describes them, offers some solutions, and suggests some research that chemists and engineers could focus on to improve the systems. This effort also models sorting at material recovery facilities (MRF) and reclaimers, with detailed descriptions of the material streams involved, to characterize the resource use and emissions from these operations that are key processes in the recycling system. Example results include greenhouse gas intensities of 8.58 kg CO2 equiv per ton of MRF feed and 103.7 kg CO2 equiv per ton of reclaimer PET bale feed. The results can be used in system analyses for various scenarios and as inputs in economic input-output and life cycle assessments.

Mihai F., Gündoğdu S., Markley L.A., Olivelli A., Khan F.R., Gwinnett C., Gutberlet J., Reyna-Bensusan N., Llanquileo-Melgarejo P., Meidiana C., Elagroudy S., Ishchenko V., Penney S., Lenkiewicz Z., Molinos-Senante M.

Rural areas are exposed to severe environmental pollution issues fed by industrial and agricultural activities combined with poor waste and sanitation management practices, struggling to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with Agenda 2030. Rural communities are examined through a “dual approach” as both contributors and receivers of plastic pollution leakage into the natural environment (through the air–water–soil–biota nexus). Despite the emerging trend of plastic pollution research, in this paper, we identify few studies investigating rural communities. Therefore, proxy analysis of peer-reviewed literature is required to outline the significant gaps related to plastic pollution and plastic waste management issues in rural regions. This work focuses on key stages such as (i) plastic pollution effects on rural communities, (ii) plastic pollution generated by rural communities, (iii) the development of a rural waste management sector in low- and middle-income countries in line with the SDGs, and (iv) circular economy opportunities to reduce plastic pollution in rural areas. We conclude that rural communities must be involved in both future plastic pollution and circular economy research to help decision makers reduce environmental and public health threats, and to catalyze circular initiatives in rural areas around the world, including less developed communities.

Evode N., Qamar S.A., Bilal M., Barceló D., Iqbal H.M.

The massive consumption of a wide range plastic products has generated a huge amount of plastic waste. There is a need to provide awareness of their uses and routine management as a part of our lifestyle. Nowadays, plastics are increasingly being used in our daily life activities, including the packaging in different food and brewing companies, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and other production sectors need to pack their end products for efficient and safer product's delivery to the community. Plastics are produced through the biochemical process of polymerization or polycondensation. The post-use of generated plastic waste has many adverse impacts on the environment if not processed and managed in a proper way. This review aims to discuss the lifecycle of plastic products according to their different categories, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC–U), polystyrene or styrofoam (PS), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), and others. Herein, we have also discussed the problems caused by the inadequate processing of plastic waste and the possible solutions that can be provided to ensure a good atmosphere and to reduce the causes of climate changes, which is challenging to life on this planet.

Hameed I., Khan K., Waris I., Zainab B.

The consumption of products made up of plastic or packaged in plastic are an integral part of our modern life. This study used a continuum of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social influence theory (SIT) to discuss the possible factors that may lead to scrubbing plastic waste in the country. For this purpose, a sample of 353 was finalized using the purposive sampling technique. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used to test the data. The findings of the study suggested that consumer attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control lead to recycling intentions. Moreover, informational and normative social influences (NSI) also play significant roles in affecting recycling intentions. The results further suggest that recycling intention is the true predictor of the recycling behavior for plastic waste. The findings of the study can be used by government officials and organizations to instigate pro-environmental consumer behavior.

Negash Y.T., Hassan A.M., Batbaatar B., Lin P.

This study contributes by developing a set of household waste separation (HWS) attributes to address waste mishandling and to enhance waste separation intentions in households. In Mongolia, a lack of waste separation at the household level needs to be addressed to improve municipal solid waste management systems. However, prior studies have not established attributes in a hierarchical structure, nor do they understand their cause-effect interrelationships. First, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to screen out the unnecessary attributes in qualitative information. The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) was then applied to understand the hierarchical structure of the attributes and their cause-effect interrelationships. The study identifies a valid set of attributes consisting of five aspects and 17 criteria under uncertainties. A hierarchical framework consisting of environmental attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, perceived convenience, and persuasive communication is provided. The findings reveal that persuasive communication and environmental attitudes are causal group aspects. Furthermore, persuasive communication has a strong causal impact and higher importance in improving HWS intentions, and it leads to perceived convenience and behavioral control. For policymakers, credibility of information, knowledge and information, awareness of consequences, willingness to sort, and perceived policy effectiveness are the key causal criteria for enhancing HWS intentions. Theoretical and practical policy implications are discussed.

Wang X.

Residents are responsible for community waste separation, and their waste separation behavior plays a significant role in determining the success or failure rate of waste management. In industrializing countries, countries such as China, waste separation at the origin is a critical factor in the success of the entire strategy implementation. Establishing trash source-separated gathering relies primarily on resident engagement, which necessitates a full knowledge of how sentiments, behavioral intention, perceived behavioral control, and contextual circumstances influenced their overall behavior. This learning customs the theory of planned behavior to analyze waste separation practices in Shanghai, that will contribute to enhance the domestic household waste separation behavior measuring scale, as well as differentiate and improve residents' waste separation commencement, execution objectives and construct a theoretical model that identifies the factors that influence waste separation behaviors. This study uses random stratified data on the waste separation behaviors of Shanghai residents across 16 districts and counties in 2019. A sample of 2555 questionnaire responses was analyzed, and a structural equation model was used to identify the mechanisms that influence residents’ environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control concerning waste separation behavior in the context of government regulations. The study found that environmental attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control significantly and positively affect the initiation and execution intentions of residential waste separation, which in turn positively affects waste separation. Environmental attitudes, directly and indirectly, affect waste separation behaviors through initiation and execution intentions. Indirectly, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have little effect on waste separation. The operational influence of initiation intention on trash separation is moderated by perceived policy effectiveness. Only environmental views, on the other hand, influence inhabitants' trash separation habits. Perceived policy effectiveness promotes the transformation of initiation intention into waste separation behaviors. The findings expanded the application of the planned behavior theory of waste separation, contributed to a better understanding of the behaviors of municipal solid waste separation in Shanghai and other Chinese cities, and provided decision makers with policy suggestions for the governance of waste separation.

Shi J., Xu K., Si H., Song L., Duan K.

The vast output of household waste has become a terrible environmental problem with the rapid growth of social development and population in China. Several pilot cities have introduced related policies to regulate urban residents in sorting household waste. Although existing research has concentrated on sorting waste intentions and behaviours amongst urban residents, especially in pilot cities or other large cities, waste produced in non-city areas should not be neglected. Accordingly, this study identified the determinants influencing waste sorting intentions and behaviours of residents in rural or urban–rural integration areas by incorporating the theory of planned behaviour and norm-activation model. A total of 241 residents completed valid questionnaires, and the collected data were empirically analysed through covariance-based structural equation modelling. Results implied that behavioural attitude and perceived behavioural control were the most significant predictors of sorting waste intention and behaviour. Meanwhile, personal moral norms and subjective norms also presented positive effects on behavioural intention. Awareness of consequence had a significant influence on personal moral norm rather than behavioural intention. After empirical analysis, this study proposed several managerial implications regarding waste problems in rural and urban–rural integration areas in China. • Incorporating the TPB and norm-activation model as the theoretical model. • Studying sorting waste behaviour in China which is emphasized in policies and regulations at present. • Taking Chinese rural and urban-rural integration areas into consideration.

Thiounn T., Smith R.C.

the majority of high market-share plastics are obtained from the use of non-renewable and ecologically devastating and processing techniques. The imperative to access new technologies for recycling and plastics is clear given their unsustainable origins and dogged environmental persistence in the and 9 The current review aims to highlight contemporary academic efforts to develop new methods for recycling some of the most abundantly-produced plastics. Specifically, efforts chemically ABSTRACT The global production and consumption of plastics has increased at an alarming rate over the last few decades. The accumulation of pervasive and persistent waste plastic has concomitantly increased in landfills and the environment. The societal, ecological and economic problems of plastic waste/pollution demand immediate and decisive action. In 2015, only 9% of plastic waste was successfully recycled in the United States. The major current recycling processes focus on the mechanical recycling of plastic waste, however even this process is limited by the sorting/pretreatment of plastic waste and degradation of plastics during the process. An alternative to mechanical processes is chemical recycling of plastic waste. Efficient chemical recycling would allow for the production of feedstocks for various uses including fuels and chemical feedstocks to replace petrochemicals. This review focuses on the most recent advances for the chemical recycling of three major polymers found in plastic waste: poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP). Commercial processes for recycling hydrolysable polymers like polyesters or polyamides, polyolefins, or mixed waste streams are also discussed. ABSTRACT Advances and Approaches The global production and consumption of plastics has drastic societal and environmental ramifications. Chemical recycling of plastic waste is an alternative to traditional recycling methods that focuses on converting waste plastic into value-added chemicals for the synthesis of fuels, polymers, and other commodity chemicals. This review focuses on the most recent advances (2014–2019) in chemical recycling of some of the most widely produced plastics. A review with 113 references. This review covers the most common current academic and industrial effots to recycle common plastics and mixed waste.

Chen B., Lee J.

PurposeThe key challenge that urban cities in most developing and transitional economies is confronting is municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Waste separation is a critical component to successful recycling management in terms of enhancing the quality of recyclables, reducing MSW and optimizing incineration. The urge to actualizing sustained waste separation behavior has been hindered by potential barriers. This study aims to examine the influences of external and internal stimuli of targeted households' waste separation intention in parts of China.Design/methodology/approachA multifactor framework predicting the process that leads to waste separation attitude and behavioral intention is proposed. SEM analysis is conducted in SmartPLS based on 371 survey questionnaires collected in Nanning city in China.FindingsPolicy regulation is the biggest determinant of attitude among external stimuli, while awareness of consequence has the strongest relationship with an attitude among internal stimuli. Facilitating conditions, subjective norms and moral norms are all significant predictors of attitude. As a result, increasing positive attitude leads to enhance waste separation lifestyle.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adopts a cross-sectional design to investigate the waste separation intention of local households. Data collection is restricted to one point in time for every individual. A mixed method is recommended. Quantitative research can examine variables provided in existing literature with numerical analysis. Qualitative research might be helpful to identify other unknown factors. Also, the survey questionnaires employ a self-reported manner, and respondents might be overrating to avoid embarrassment.Practical implicationsFuture research is recommended to engage observation at houses or at the waste-collecting points for actual waste separation behavior. Moreover, this study measures intention toward household waste separation, but whether this intention will eventually lead to waste separation behavior is not a guarantee. Future study is recommended to examine whether intention translates into actual waste separation behavior.Originality/valueEmphasizing the importance of policy element as a direct influence toward attitude, this paper focuses on the waste separation attitude accumulated from external and internal stimuli, and, concurrently, waste separation behavioral intention is influenced by accumulated attitudes. The study provides relevant policy development information of three Asian countries to enhance their present and future policy directions for a sustainable household waste separation management process

Idumah C.I., Nwuzor I.C.

Nowadays, there exists a global challenge confronting efficient management of municipal solid wastes. Varying degrees of environmental challenges including regular release of greenhouse gases and scarcity of available space for waste disposal have been caused by escalating accumulation of these wastes’ materials resulting in inappropriate waste management. These challenges have aroused alarming public concerns, resulting in political legislation aimed at minimizing the amount of wastes getting into the environment. These activities attempt to offer solution which will enhance sustainable waste management, while promoting MSW recycling, and efficient conversion of waste materials to energy, and other valuable chemicals. These conversion procedures can be achieved through use of either biological processes such as anaerobic digestion or thermochemical procedures such as pyrolysis. Thus, the current review elucidates novel routes effectively utilized in converting MSW to energy and other valuable chemicals.