Factors Influencing Recycling Of Plastic Waste In Belarusian Cities

The hazardous impact of plastic materials production on environment and human health has been long realized worldwide,which continuously stimulates environmental consciousness and brings forth ever growing plastic waste recycling rates.While in many European countries such rates nowadays are reaching 50%-60%,in Belarus,despite positive trends over last ten years,the population demonstrates relatively low percentage of recycled plastic in total solid waste-just over 15%.Therefore,this research aims at investigating the factors that determine recycling of plastic waste by individuals in Belarusian cities,and developing recommendations on effectively stimulating recycling behaviour.Although the literature on the subject can be characterized as mature,there is no unanimous agreement on a single set of factors influencing recycling behaviour,as the findings of different studies vary by locations and social groups.Moreover,as no previous in-depth study of the determinants of recycling of plastic waste among Belarusian people was found,this research is justified.Based on the literature review,hypotheses that five groups of factors determine recycling of plastic waste in Belarus were drawn:socio-demographic parameters,recycling knowledge,personal norms,social norms and physical context.Survey strategy was pursued by employing online questionnaire of 292 people from three largest Belarusian cities.The data acquired via questionnaire were quantitatively coded and analysed using descriptive statistics,correlation tables,logistic and linear regression.All five groups of factors were transferred into sets of independent variables which further undergone logistic regression analysis with a binary dependent variable of the decision to recycle('yes' or 'no')and multiple linear regression with the frequency of recycling expressed in Likert scale(from 1 to 5).As a result of the analysis,the impact of socio-demographic parameters,recycling knowledge and personal norms was found to be not significant enough to claim their determining power on recycling of plastic,while the influence of social norms,as well as physical context were discovered to have significant power in predetermining the conduct in disposing of plastic waste.The results are supported by revealing the most discouraging from recycling factors,such as lack of indoor space,never having the idea of starting to recycle and inconvenience of recycling site location.