Avances en reciclaje y gestión de residuos

Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case Study

Abstract

Bendak S, Attili AB

Participation of consumers in any domestic waste recycling program is vital for its success. Many developing countries are starting domestic waste recycling programs but little is known on the attitude or behavior of consumers toward this issue. This presents a hurdle to the success of such programs. This paper addresses consumers’ attitude and behavior toward domestic waste recycling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A specially tailored questionnaire was randomly distributing to a sample of one thousand consumers in UAE asking them a multitude of questions on their attitude, behavior and practices in relation to domestic waste recycling. Results indicate that only a small percentage of people actually participate in recycling even though they are aware of the deteriorating environmental quality and acknowledging that recycling preserves resources and protects the environment. Results also show that this difference between consumers’ attitude and practices might be due to some obstacles including lack of recycling bins and the long distance needed to reach those bins. Finally, some practical solutions to improve consumers’ participation in recycling in UAE are given.