Households’ Participation Intentions To Recycle Waste In The Accra Metropolitan Area: A Reverse Logistics Perspective

Abstract

This thesis addresses a critical research gap in the domain of municipal solid waste management, specifically focusing on household waste recycling in emerging economies. Despite the proven effectiveness of reverse logistics in waste management (Flygansvær, Samuelsen & Støyle, 2021), limited research exists on how adaptations in reverse logistics systems towards households can enhance recycling behaviour in emerging economies like Ghana—a context with significant potential for waste recovery (Oduro-Appiah, Afful & Osei-Tutu, 2022). To fill this gap, the research integrates contextual factors and behavioural tendencies, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing households' intentions to recycle waste. Through a quantitative approach and a survey involving 385 respondents, data were collected and analyzed using various statistical measures, including frequencies, means, standard deviations, and EQS structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that both contextual and behavioural factors positively influence households’intentions to recycle waste. Moreover, the study highlights the significant roles played by policy inducement as a moderator and individual attitudes as mediators in shaping household waste recycling intentions. This research emphasizes the importance of considering both contextual and behavioural factors in waste recycling and advocates for the implementation of integrated policies that comprehensively address these elements. The contribution of this study is not only practical but also enriches our understanding of the effectiveness of policies that holistically incorporate both contextual and behavioural aspects in the realm of waste management.