Determinants of solid waste prevention intentions among households with recycling experience in selected metropolitan areas in Malaysia

Beyond recycling, the increase in solid waste generation requires greater solid waste prevention efforts to reduce the burden of solid waste management, particularly in the metropolitan areas of Malaysia. This study focused on households with recycling experience to bolster solid waste prevention efforts. Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), supported by efficacy and identity theories as well as insights from the behavioural spillover perspective, this study aimed to investigate the determinants of their solid waste prevention intentions, which has been under-researched. Specifically, the main objectives were to examine the influence of attitude towards waste prevention, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, past recycling behaviour and perceived collective efficacy on the households’ solid waste prevention intentions; to determine the influence of past recycling behaviour and perceived collective efficacy on perceived behavioural control; to ascertain the mediating effect of perceived behavioural control on the relationship between two determinants (past recycling behaviour and perceived collective efficacy) and households’ solid waste prevention intentions. The study also sought to investigate the moderating effect of pro-environmental self-identity on the relationship between past recycling behaviour and households’ solid waste prevention intentions. A multistage sampling technique was utilised to collect data from household heads with recycling experience living in Penang, Klang Valley, and Johor Bahru. The data collection was conducted crosssectionally via an online survey. Data collected from 436 valid samples were analysed using the Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) software. The results demonstrated that attitude towards solid waste prevention, perceived collective efficacy, and past recycling behaviour have a significant positive influence on households’ solid waste prevention intentions. In contrast, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control demonstrated an insignificant influence on their intentions. The results also revealed that perceived behavioural control was positively influenced by perceived collective efficacy and past recycling behaviour. However, perceived behavioural control did not mediate the relationship between two determinants (past recycling behaviour and perceived collective efficacy) and households’ solid waste prevention intentions. In addition, the moderation analysis demonstrated a stronger positive relationship between past recycling behaviour and households’ solid waste prevention intentions among individuals with a lower proenvironmental self-identity. This study contributes to theoretical extension and advances the understanding of the determinants that influenced the households’ solid waste prevention intentions using the extended TPB framework. Based on the findings, the study provides insights and recommendations for policymakers, nongovernmental organisations, and other relevant stakeholders in developing targeted campaigns, education and public awareness (CEPA) initiatives and policy guidelines to enhance solid waste prevention efforts in Malaysia. The limitations of the study were discussed, and several prospective avenues for future studies were proposed.

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