Enhancing Recycling Participation: Behavior Factors Influencing Residents’ Adoption of Recycling Vending Machines

Abstract

Recycling is a crucial waste management option because of the increasing amount of waste generated and the limited space in landfills. However, traditional recycling processes, which require individuals to deliver large quantities of waste to recycling centers, can discourage participation. To address this issue, this study expanded upon the technology acceptance model (TAM) by incorporating perceived risk and social influence to examine residents’ intentions to adopt recycling vending machines. This study used partial least squares structural equation modeling based on the data collected from 525 individuals in Jiangsu Province, China. This study’s findings indicate that TAM components, such as attitudes, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, positively influence residents’ intentions and behaviors to adopt recycling vending machines. Additionally, perceived usefulness and ease of use significantly affected attitudes toward recycling vending machines. This study also found that social influence had a significant positive impact on perceived usefulness and ease of use, while perceived risk negatively influenced these factors. Furthermore, attitude played a crucial mediating role, with additional factors impacting intentions and behaviors through attitude. Overall, this research can help stakeholders such as waste management companies to understand residents’ concerns and improve the implementation of recycling vending machines.