Determinants of recycling common types of plastic product waste in environmental horticulture industry: The case of Georgia

An Empirical Study on the Main Determinants of Recycling Plastic Waste in Tunisia

Over the past fifteen years, numerous policies for recycling and recovering waste have been implemented throughout the world. Tunisia is among the countries considering recycling as a sustainable development path. This empirical study aimed to investigate and examine the influence of financial determinants measured by the price of waste disposal (PDI), institutional determinants measured by the collection of waste (CW) and the number of drop-off recycling centers, and ordinance and demographic determinants measured by the population density and the recycling rate for plastic as a domestic waste based on a panel of 24 Tunisian governorates over the 2001–2020 period. It is concluded from the empirical findings that all exogenous variables except population density have a significant effect on the recycling rate.

Strawberry fields forever: That is, how many grams of plastics are used to grow a strawberry?

In important areas of the agricultural sector, plastic is one of the most important tools for improving the managerial and economic performance of companies. Horticultural production under protected cultivation, in particular, makes abundant use of plastic polymers-polymers that mostly turn into waste. This study aims to identify similar organisational models among farmers operating in the strawberry production sector in relation to their intention to recycle plastic material and which factors characterize these models (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and socio-demographic characteristics) and to quantify the plastic used in relation to the different types of materials used. In order to achieve this aim, data coming from one of Italy's most specialized areas in the strawberry sector, Marsala, were analysed using a principal component analysis to identify latent factor and subsequently clustered in order to identify similar organisational models. The main findings show that behind a typical 250-gram basket of strawberries, the production process has generated more than 20 g of plastic waste, consisting of different polymers. In addition, younger farmers, who manage companies of smaller physical dimensions, and with a higher level of education, show a greater intention to join plastic recycling programs, guided by their attitudes, by the necessity to respond to social pressures, and by the ability to manage recycling programs. Our main result adds to previous knowledge that the informed producer (via greater awareness) is the key to solving the problem through improving environmental sustainability and creating a circular economy.

No time for composting: Subjective time pressure as a barrier to citizen engagement in curbside composting

Citizen engagement in waste management and recycling programs is crucial in achieving environmental sustainability. Existing studies have explored the determinants of waste management and recycling behavior as well as the adoption of selected waste management and recycling programs at both the individual and organizational levels. However, existing research has not explored, from a civic engagement perspective, why individuals who possess selected waste management and recycling tools fail to use them. Through individual level analysis, this study examines the reasons why residents fail to use their green curbside composting carts. Results indicate that subjective time pressure explains why individuals do not use their composting carts. Additionally, age and household size have different effects on the failure to use green curbside composting carts.

Waste disposal and households' heterogeneity. Identifying factors shaping attitudes towards source-separated recycling in Bogotá, Colombia

Solid waste management in many cities of developing countries is not environmentally sustainable. People traditionally dispose of their solid waste in unsuitable urban areas like sidewalks and satellite dumpsites. This situation nowadays has become a serious public health problem in big Latin American conurbations. Among these densely-populated urban spaces, the Colombia's capital and main city stands out as a special case. In this study, we aim to identify the factors that shape the attitudes towards source-separated recycling among households in Bogotá. Using data from the Colombian Department of Statistics and Bogotá's multi-purpose survey, we estimated a multivariate Probit model. In general, our results show that the higher the household's socioeconomic class, the greater its effort for separating solid wastes. Likewise, our findings also allowed us to characterize household profiles regarding solid waste separation and considering each socioeconomic class. Among these profiles, we found that at lower socioeconomic classes, the attitudes towards solid waste separation are influenced by the use of Internet, the membership to an environmentalist organization, the level of education of the head of household and the homeownership. Hence, increasing the education levels within the poorest segment of the population, promoting affordable housing policies and facilitating Internet access for the vulnerable population could reinforce households' attitudes towards a greater source-separated recycling effort.