Factors Influencing Consumers' Intentions To Participate In A Formal E-Waste Collection System: A Case Study Of Onitsha,Nigeria

Due to the increasing amount of electronic waste(e-waste)generated in Nigeria,challenges such as consumer disposal behaviors have emerged.There is little or no oversight by government regulators with regards to effective collection and disposal methods,with practically no capacity for material recovery,thus,the processes of managing the huge e-waste stream is not clearly spelled out and practiced,as a result of which consumers discard e-waste alongside municipal solid waste,also the recycling is done by the informal sector using crude methods,unwanted components become discarded in local dumps or surface water bodies.Collection is a central phase in gathering and diverting the e-waste streams to the desirable recycling facilities.Consumers active participation in e-waste collection and recycling is vital in upholding an established e-waste management scheme.Hence,a thorough understanding of consumers' intentions to participate in formal e-waste collection is essential.Cognitive psychological modelling can provide the means to identify the drivers behind formal collection intentions,and in a given area determine the main likely success factors.It has been established that theories represent the keystone of knowledge production.The theory of planned behavior(TPB)creates an applicable platform for identifying the determinants of recycling intention.Based on the TPB,we develop a theoretical framework to study how influencing factors such as attitude,subjective norm,perceived behavioral control and environmental knowledge influence intentions to participate in formal e-waste collection.Additionally,we extend the research framework to examine whether the factors of infrastructure and economic incentive moderate the relationship between the TPB variables and intention.Using an empirical survey conducted in the city of Onitsha with 384 usable questionnaire responses,we observe that attitude,subjective norm,and environmental knowledge directly influence consumer intentions.Statistical results also show that only the factor of infrastructure moderates the relationship between two influencing factors(attitude and subjective norm)and intention.The results of the hierarchical moderated regression indicate that infrastructure could facilitate the transformation of attitude and subjective norms into intentions,further,the negative coefficients of regression for the interactions further suggests that the availability of e-waste collection infrastructure will likely result in a weaker influencing capability of attitude and subjective norm on intention,provided that there exists a functional and adequately managed infrastructure situated close to the community,such that it can be easily accessed by household consumers.A major contribution of the methods employed by this study is that it highlights the potential factors that would influence consumers to participate in a formal e-waste collection scheme.This information can also be used to develop and implement formal e-waste collection schemes which are user friendly,and in addition,can serve as a guide for developing campaign initiatives which promotes participation in such schemes.The study also highlights the importance of developing and updating a formal e-waste collection system according to each countries' situation and culture,with the participation and support of all the stakeholders.