It is undeniable that household recycling was studied extensively. Nonetheless, the recycling behaviour of householders living in urban areas has received less attention including in Malaysia. Therefore, the objective of this preliminary study is to outline the perception of factors that drive humans to recycle domestic waste among urban households. The study conducts a site investigation and questionnaire survey in six (6) suburbs of Shah Alam by using a Convenience Sampling method. The outcomes are influenced by not only the factors in recycling but human attitudes and behaviours, which reflect their contribution towards waste generation and domestic waste recycling practice. Keywords: Human Behaviour; Domestic Waste Recycling; Waste Generation; Urban Households eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2489.

Malaysia is experiencing waste disposal management issues involving the lack of recycling practices among human behaviour, the absence of domestic waste recycling mechanisms, and poor enforcement for recycling activities. Previous studies revealed that households generate domestic waste hence requires changes in domestic waste management. This paper aims to establish the conceptual framework of solid waste recycling practice by employing the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Content analysis was employed to verify the trends of research in the related topic. From prior related studies, a variety of approaches based on the TPB model were examined. Results demonstrated that many factors influence the household’s behaviour in domestic waste recycling using the TPB model. The outcome of this study was a conceptual framework in determining the factors of human behaviour in domestic waste recycling. The framework can therefore be a mechanism for authority in managing domestic waste.

Domestic solid waste management and recycling have been a continuous effort for local authorities. However, recycling activities are still participatory practices in Malaysia. To date, there is no specific law that enforces urban residents to recycle their solid waste. Therefore, this study is intended to investigate recycling facilities (a mechanism) and the urban household’s behaviour towards recycling in Selangor. Shah Alam was selected as the Case Study using six (6) administrative sections (Seksyen 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11) comprising of landed and high-rise housing schemes as the study areas. Research methods included Site Observation, Questionnaire Survey and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The questionnaire survey employed the Convenient Random Sampling technique owing to the new norm of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results demonstrated significant differences in households’ behaviour for residents living in landed properties compared to the high-rise households. The residents are more inclined to recycle when the recycling facilities are closer to their vicinity. This relates very much to the facilities and recycling program delivered by the city council for areas with landed houses and apartments. The study suggested an improvement in domestic solid waste management through proposals put forward by the FGD participants, including the creation of recycling software Applications, enhanced policies and strategies for recycling and further educate the public on the importance of protecting their environment through recycling. The outcome of this study may be a reference to the authority and waste operators in improving their practice for the benefit of Shah Alam’s environment and public well-being.