Understanding Young Consumers’ E-Waste Recycling Behaviour in Bangladesh: A Developing Country Perspective

Abstract

The rising amount of electronic waste (e-waste) presents serious threats to the environment and public health. Addressing this challenge necessitates a focus on improving the e-waste recycling rate, which is facilitated by consumers’ spontaneous participation. This paper explores the factors influencing young consumers’ e-waste recycling behavior (EWRB) from a developing country’s perspective. Though existing literature has addressed various factors affecting EWRB, the role of individuals’ pro-environmental goals (PEG) remains underexplored. This paper provides an integrated theoretical model that incorporates PEG alongside factors drawn from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Norm Activation Model (NAM), and Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT). Data were collected through a survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results reveal that young consumers’ intentions toward EWRB are significantly influenced by economic benefits, perceived behavioral control, moral norms, and PEG, while economic benefits emerge as the most influential factor. However, the impact of attitude and subjective norm on intention was found to be insignificant. Results indicate that despite having positive intentions, young consumers were often deterred from recycling e-waste due to perceived risks, indicating a negative moderating effect of perceived risk on the intention–behavior relationship. Conversely, PEG positively moderates the impact of intention on EWRB, reducing the intention–behavior gap. This paper contributes to the literature by enhancing our understanding of how PEG interacts with other factors affecting EWRB. Practically, the findings offer valuable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote EWRB among young consumers, particularly in Bangladesh.