Encouraging recycling among households in Malaysia: Does deterrence matter?

Abstract

To encourage recycling in Malaysian households, a waste separation at source programme was implemented that made it mandatory for households to sort their waste into different categories before leaving it out for collection. Penalties designed to act as a deterrent are imposed on households that fail to sort their waste appropriately. But does this deterrence motivate compliance with the programme directives? This study employs the deterrence theory to investigate if deterrence alone is sufficient to motivate households to actively participate in recycling. A total of 866 questionnaires were administered in person in households in Putrajaya and Melaka. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results of the structural model reveal that just 25% of the variance in compliance is explained by the severity of the sanction, and the perceived certainty of penalty imposed. Perceived severity of sanction (β = 0.149, p = 0.012) and perceived certainty of sanction (β = 0.383, p = 0.000) were found to contribute significantly to compliance behaviour to the programme directives. However, deterrence alone cannot motivate household participation in waste separation at source because it only explains 25% of compliance behaviour. The present study provides information that could allow policymakers to understand recycling habits better and implement more effective compliance strategies.

A critical review of household recycling barriers in the United Kingdom

“…The introduction of penalties or 'pay as you throw' may increase incidents of waste fly-tipping or dumping in public places to avoid paying for waste disposal. In contrast, Ogiri et al (2019) in their study of using a deterrence approach to nudge citizens to carry out recycling activities found that the introduction of negative incentives in form of fines and sanctions was a substantial factor in increasing residents' participation in recycling activities. Similarly, the plastic bag tax introduced in the United Kingdom has cut down the rate of plastic bag usage; the latest data published by DEFRA indicate an 85-95% reduction in the use of plastic bags, in the United Kingdom, between 2018 and 2020 (DEFRA, 2020c).…”

Waste Segregation through Recycle and Composting Activities in Urban and Suburban Areas

“…A good campaign should include a persuasive approach with various aspects to attract community attention. Nevertheless, some study has stated that participation from the community in waste segregation is still low even though much public awareness has been conducted through the years [31]. Moreover, marketing mediums such as posters, pamphlets, advertisements on television, radio, websites, billboards, and others do not significantly impact waste segregation behaviour [28].…”

I Am Better Than Others: Waste Management Policies and Self-Enhancement Bias

“…Mandatory policies refer to the rules governing behavior, and policymakers design a package of commonly agreed standards, penalties, supervision, and enforcement when mandates are used [35,36]. Previous studies suggest that mandatory policies play key roles in promoting waste separation [20,[37][38][39]. For instance, in July 2019, Shanghai took the lead in formulating and implementing a mandatory waste separation policy via supervisory guidance, penalties, regulated disposal times, and others [40], and its waste separation rate increased from 15% to 80% [41].…”