Dynamics of Household Waste Segregation Behaviour in Urban Community in Ujjain, India: A Framework Analysis

Abstract

Waste segregation practices must be socially acceptable, affordable, context-specific, and participatory, which is essential for promoting waste segregation. Therefore, this study explored the urban community members’ motivation, opportunity, and household waste segregation ability. We performed a qualitative study in Ujjain city, India. Ten focus group discussions and eight in-depth interviews were conducted with female and male household members in residential and slum areas. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and translated. We used the thematic framework technique using the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability-Behaviour theory for analysis. Three themes were constructed: motivation, where household members are motivated to sort waste yet fear the consequences of improper sorting; ability, where household waste segregation is rapidly gaining acceptance as a social norm; and opportunities, involving convenient facilities and a social support system for household members towards waste segregation. This study contributes to developing a knowledge base on waste segregation behaviour and a repertoire to facilitate evidence-based management and policymaking. There is a need for educational intervention and women’s self-help groups’ involvement to develop community orientation and waste segregation literacy. Finally, this study emphasizes the importance of all three behavioural change components, i.e., motivation, opportunity, and ability, in managing sustainable waste segregation practices.

In-depth analysis to develop a social marketing model to promote women's participation in waste segregation behaviour: A qualitative study

“…The reason for this was the education of community members and even children in schools. The results of this study showed that women do more waste separation than men [ 22 ]. The study by Cheng et al showed that knowledge has a positive effect on waste separation behaviour and that women participate more in waste separation [ 51 ].…”

“…In the study by Mugambe et al, community support was a decisive factor for waste separation behaviour [ 37 ]. A qualitative study from India showed that subjective norms are the strongest predictors of waste separation behaviour [ 22 ]. The results of a study have shown that social capital has a positive effect on waste separation behaviour [ 52 ].…”

“…Factors such as awareness, education, social norms, perceived benefits, structural barriers, motivation, attitude, subjective norms, self-efficacy, perceived behavioural control, behavioural intentions, normative feedback, and environmental factors have an impact on waste sorting behaviour [ [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] ]. Surveys show that waste separation is very important for the preservation and improvement of the environment [ [20] , [21] , [22] ]. In most countries around the world, waste management systems have evolved [ 9 ].…”

“…It is useful to conduct a qualitative study to discover the challenges of waste management. Previous qualitative studies investigated the views of households or beneficiaries in the area of waste separation and did not investigate the views of both groups [ 13 , 22 , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] ]. Analysing the perspective of a group does not shed light on all aspects of a problem.…”

The Perception and Attitude of Farmers toward Domestic Waste Classifications: A Case Study on Wusheng County, Sichuan Province, China

“…TPB posits that the generation of environmental behavior comes from an individual’s own expectations and welfare, proposing that behavioral attitudes (BAs), subjective norms (SNs), and perceived behavioral control jointly determine an individual’s environmental behavior [ 7 ]. Currently, The TPB has consistently demonstrated its utility and efficacy in explaining recycling in European countries and domestic waste classification in various settings and contexts, including LMICs in the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey and Greece), Africa (South Africa and Ghana), and Asia (India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China) [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Therefore, introducing the TPB into FDW classification management behavior research, from the aspects of rural residents itself, to explore the internal factors influencing the desire and behavior of its classification can improve the enthusiasm for FDW classification management.…”