Heliyon (Jul 2024)
Impact of information publicity on Korean residents’ E-waste recycling intentions: Applying the norm activation model and theory of planned behavior
Abstract
The escalating annual growth rate of electronic waste, commonly referred to as “e-waste,” is currently between 3 % and 5 %, indicating a rapidly increasing solid waste stream. In 2019, South Korea generated 15.8 kg of e-waste per capita. The expansion of South Korea's economy, driven by technological advancement, is a key contributor to this surge in e-waste production. This study examined the impact of information publicity on South Korean residents' e-waste recycling intentions analytically with a quantitative approach. It expanded the norm activation model and theory of planned behavior by incorporating external information elements, including information publicity, in an analysis of 500 responses from the mainland and Jeju Island regarding residents' e-waste recycling intentions and behaviors. The model was validated with partial least squares structural equation modeling via the WarpPLS approach, which is well suited to a model using moderating variables, and the analysis was conducted with WarpPLS 7.0 software. While information publicity did not directly influence residents' intentions to recycle e-waste, it indirectly affected them through two mediating variables: recycling attitudes and moral norms. Additionally, information publicity directly impacted perceived behavioral control. However, perceived behavioral control was not a mediating factor between information publicity and recycling intention. Hence, although people were aware of recycling infrastructure convenience, this awareness did not change their intentions. Current e-waste recycling information and publicity campaigns may be insufficient; the government should improve its publicity events and increase their frequency to encourage effective recycling behavior.
